Harry Potter and the Greatest Gift
by mini-mid
Summary: Harry comes home after finishing his fifth year, the happenings at the department of mysteries and Sirius death heavy on his mind. He finds the Dursley household in chaos and learns that sometimes great gifts come in small packages. As usual no slash!
1. Chapter 1

_**Ok so I couldn't stop this from escaping from my head onto the screen. Hopefully someone will like it and I'll continue. **_

_**Ps 1. This is taking place after the Order of the phoenix, book 5. Half-blood and Deathly hallows books have not happened so you need to forget them and try not to get confused. ( Not that they are easy to forget or anything…masterpieces…wish I had written them. ) I am not earning any money from this and all the characters save for a few that I have added belong to Mrs Rowling. **_

_**Ps 2. Readers of my story Harry Potter and the Phoenix Burning, next chapter is on the way! Hopefully at some point during the weekend. ( Please don't hurt me if it doesn't come until Sunday night…) Mina**_

**The newest freak**

_**Chapter 1**_

Harry waved a last time to his friends and the members of the order that stood in the station and followed the Dursley's out to their car.

The Dursley's had all seemed to have gone mute, after being threatened by Moody and the rest, as nobody said a word for the first half an hour of their journey. Harry who was enjoying the silence didn't mind at all that his relatives had decided to adopt the Harry-is-not-here approach again.

It wasn't until they'd been travelling for quite a bit longer that Harry started to get suspicious. It didn't normally take this long to get home from the station and looking out the window he wasn't sure at all where they were.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked after failing to recognise any of the landmarks outside. His aunt pursed her lips tightly, Dudley went bright red and uncle Vernon's hands on the steering wheel went white. But nobody said a word.

"I said, where are we going?" Harry demanded feeling slightly worried now.

"NEVER YOU MIND BOY!" Uncle Vernon screamed turning to glare at Harry, making the car swerve violently to the right. The car behind them honked furiously before increasing the distance between their cars should uncle Vernon swerve again.

"Think of you blood pressure dear." Aunt Petunia whispered worriedly into the silence that followed Vernon's shock outburst.

"Your fault boy…You and your freakishness." Vernon muttered through gritted teeth, his neck turning red. Petunia glanced at her husband worriedly again. Harry was feeling very confused. Was this about the train station? Had seeing the order members finally made his uncle snap?

Harry glanced at Dudley who looked a bit pale, his cousin opened his mouth as if to speak.

"NOT A WORD DUDLEY! NOT ONE WORD!" Vernon bellowed again making them all jump. Dudley face went first bright red then pasty white before he nodded silently ,under his fathers glare, to show obedience.

Harry was momentarily struck dumb. Never had he heard his uncle take that tone with Dudley before. Oh, he'd used it often on Harry whenever Harry had done any accidental magic but never pampered Dudley. Harry turned and looked at Dudley for an explanation but the other boy refused to meet his eyes and stared resolutely out the window at the passing motorway scenery. Aunt Petunia too refused to look at Harry and so they continued their journey in silence.

Harry debated whether or not to use his wand to draw attention to the fact that he was travelling in a car with his deranged uncle or if he should just suffer in silence until they got to where they were headed.

He didn't think the ministry would give him grief about using magic now that they knew Voldemort was back but then again it was the ministry and one could never be too sure when dealing with them.

Harry was pulled from his thoughts when uncle Vernon drove them of the motorway and into a small city centre just of the big road. They appeared to be in one of the small commuter towns outside London but Harry still couldn't work out where they were. They parked the car outside a small bungalow and uncle Vernon turned of the ignition.

"Stay! Don't move! Don't talk!" Uncle Vernon snapped before climbing out of the car. Aunt Petunia slowly got out as well and followed her husband up to the front door. As soon as it opened and they disappeared from view Harry turned to Dudley.

"What is going on?" He demanded. Dudley ignored him and continued to stare out the window. His neck and cheeks were flaming again and Harry narrowed his eyes. "I said, what is going on?" He demanded again, this time bringing his wand out.

"You can't use that." Dudley piped up looking worried and Harry snorted.

"Voldemort is back, and the ministry is far too busy to care about if I do a spot of magic." Harry bluffed, feeling pleased at the look of fear that appeared on Dudley's face. The door on Harry's side of the car opened suddenly.

"Put it away boy!" Aunt Petunia hissed into Harry's ear and he leaned away from her before hiding his wand. He could see a muggle woman waving from the house and aunt Petunia gave her a manic smile in return before moving to the side so uncle Vernon, who was behind her, could get to where Harry was seated.

"Boy! Move next to Dudley and do it fast or so help me god." Was hissed at him so quietly he barely caught it and Harry scooted over to the centre seat and stared in horrified fascination at the contraption his uncle was fitting into the car.

And the thing it contained.

"You wake it up and I'll not be held responsible for my actions. Do you understand me boy?" Uncle Vernon hissed quietly again before gingerly closing the door. Harry stared at the thing and it wasn't until they were back on the motorway that he was able to tear his eyes away from the tiny, dark haired baby sleeping just inches away from him.

Dear lord they've spawned another one, Harry thought to himself.

This was so not happening, Dudley he could handle but another one was too much.

The journey home seemed to go past slowly. Why they had left the baby so far away from their house and the train station didn't make any sense to Harry, but then nothing the Dursley's did ever seemed to made any sense to him.

Dudley was out of the car before it had even come to a complete stop and disappeared into the house as if chased by pixies. Aunt Petunia took a few deep breaths and left the car after a silent look at her husband.

Which left Harry, uncle Vernon and the baby in the car.

"You will leave the bird cage here in the car and I will bring it in when I've made sure no one is watching." Uncle Vernon said in a hushed voice. Harry opened his mouth and then snapped it shut when uncle Vernon glared at him homicidally.

"You will carry that…that…into the house." Uncle Vernon threw a coat at Harry and then glared at him when he failed to move.

"What am I supposed to do with your coat?" Harry whispered, after glancing at the baby.

"Cover the thing with it you fool! Can't have the neighbours seeing it ,can we?" His uncle snapped before staring at the baby in horror. The look passed when it became clear the baby hadn't woken from the sound and he glared again at Harry.

Something was so very wrong with the whole situation, Harry thought before glancing down at the resting baby again. His uncle came round the car and opened the door before unsnapping the car seat and motioning for Harry to get on with his part.

Harry carefully covered the baby's car seat with his uncles coat and carefully lifted it by the covered handle. Feeling as if he'd been dumped into a different reality Harry carried the baby into the house where an anxious looking aunt Petunia hovered by the door. Harry moved to hand the baby over but she pursed her lips in absolute disgust and stared at him as if he'd lost his mind.

"Oh no! I'm not taking care of it for one more second, you take it to your room and leave it there, I don't want to see it again!" She said. Harry stared at her in shock.

"You heard your aunt, take it out of our sight!" Uncle Vernon snapped, dumping Harry's things in the hallway, after closing and locking the front door.

"And then you'll come down for a long overdue chat. And bring Dudley with you." He sneered before heading for the kitchen muttering about needing a stiff drink. Aunt Petunia sent Harry another glare before hurrying after her husband.

Harry switched hand as the baby although small still weighed a fair bit in the carry thing. He grabbed hold of the cage holding a very disgruntled looking Hedwig in the other hand and climbed the stairs and entered his own domain.

There was a cardboard box in the middle of his bed filled with a small threadbare blanket, which looked familiar, soiled nappies had been left on the floor and the stench made his eyes tear up. He placed the carrier on the bed next to the box, let Hedwig out of her cage and hurriedly opened the window. When he turned back to face the room after a few breaths of breathable air he noticed other changes to his room. His desk had been emptied and now sported an electric kettle and what Harry thought to be a tub of baby formula. Several clean empty baby bottles stood arranged on the desk next to the tub.

So, his room had been made into a nursery for the baby he thought, shaking his head. He looked back at the covered carrier on his bed and wondered if he should remove the coat. It was pretty hot in the room, and he guessed the baby could suffocate under his uncles enormous coat.

Harry carefully pulled the coat off and again just stared in disbelief at the baby. What on earth had happened whilst he was away? Well they definitively needed to have that chat uncle Vernon mentioned. He moved to leave the room before stopping.

Was it ok to just leave the baby in the carry thing or should he take it out? Maybe not touch it as it could wake up he thought but he decided to move the carrier down to the floor in case the baby moved and it fell down. He eyed Hedwig who'd flown over to the cupboard, placed her head under her wing, as if stating her displeasure with having had uncle Vernon bring her into the house. He didn't think she'd do anything to the baby.

He banged on Dudley's door a moment later and waited for his cousin to come to the door.

"We're having a chat and they want you there too." Harry said before turning and making his way downstairs with Dudley dragging his feet behind him.

They entered the kitchen to find all the curtains drawn and his aunt and uncle seated by the table, a lone table lamp bringing light to the gloomy room.

"Whose baby is that?" Harry asked before he'd even entered the room fully. No one said anything and Harry drew a deep breath for strength.

"It's mine." Dudley whispered before Harry had a chance to ask anymore questions. Harry blinked in stupefied disbelief and looked at aunt Petunia who's lips had disappeared and then turned his look on his uncle who was drumming his fingers angrily on the table.

"Your freakish magic did this! That…the thing…it!" Uncle Vernon faltered and motioned for upstairs. Harry raised his eyebrows.

"I had nothing to do with the baby. I don't think even magic can just make them appear out of nothing." Harry said dryly making uncle Vernon stiffen.

"Don't you take that tone with me boy! We clothed you, fed you, cared for you out of the goodness of our hearts. You must have put Dudley under a spell when those Dementy things came last year. I know this is your fault boy!" Uncle Vernon snapped making Harry grit his teeth together. Well they had different opinions on that one.

"We could have handled it if it was normal! But it's just as freaky as you! And I'm not having it in the house you hear! Not again!" Aunt Petunia shrieked hysterically before putting her hands over her mouth in horror. The Dursley's all looked up at the ceiling in fear, but it would seem the baby was too far away to wake from the sound of her screeching.

"You will get rid of it, send it to one of your friends or dump it at an orphanage. I don't care as long as it leaves. But don't you dare let the neighbours see it!" Uncle Vernon spat venomously.

"Let me get this straight. Dudley got some girl pregnant, you, out of all people, have the baby, for some reason you think it has magical powers and you expect me to get rid of it?" Harry asked eyeing them with mounting disgust. They nodded as one making him shake his head.

"The trollop of a girl had the nerve to leave it on our doorstep. Our doorstep! After all we've been through with you. Well I'm not having it again!" Aunt Petunia sneered. "It made the curtains move and broke the kitchen light. It's obviously one of you." She said eyeing Harry crossly, before motioning with jerky movements to the empty kitchen lamp hanging over the table.

Harry couldn't believe that they were asking him to get rid of their first grandchild because the baby was magical. In fact he couldn't believe Dudley had managed to actually get someone pregnant in the first place.

"Who's the mother?" Harry asked, making aunt Petunia dig in her pocket. She handed him a crumpled piece of paper and Harry read the letter before crumpling it in his hand and stuffing it into his pocket.

"Well you sure know how to choose them Big D. Fourteen and from a strict family and school, huh? Haven't you ever heard of protection?" Harry sneered making Dudley blush. Harry was surprised when neither his aunt nor his uncle made a move to defend their son. It would seem Dudley had finally managed to push even them to the limit.

"So will you get rid of it?" Aunt Petunia asked after a moment making Harry grimace.

"You're serious about just giving the baby away? It's part of your family. And Dudley it's your kid!" Harry exclaimed eyeing them all in disbelief. How could anyone just dump a baby like that?

"I don't want her. Besides she's like you, you know, not normal." Dudley muttered, making aunt Petunia nod quickly. Harry started at his words and glared at them.

"We don't want a new freak disrupting our family with your unnaturalness." Aunt Petunia said standing up, she walked over to get an apron and slid the straps over her head. She turned to glare some more at Harry but before she had a chance to dig into him again, a sound from upstairs made them all look up.

"The baby is your responsibility now and I won't waste any more time on it. You'll feed it, change its nappies, keep it clean and most importantly, quiet." She said with obvious glee before turning away to start the cooking.

Harry gaped at her back.

"I don't know anything about babies!" He spluttered.

"You'll just have to learn fast, won't you?" Petunia said smugly.

"Why isn't Dudley taking care of her?" Harry asked making Dudley get out of his seat as if it was on fire.

"I'm going to the park." Dudley mumbled before slinking out of the kitchen. They heard the door open and close and then he was gone.

"You're just going to let him get away with it?" Harry asked, eyeing the two adults in disbelief.

"You heard your aunt, the freak is yours now. Get on with it." Uncle Vernon said, merrily raising his glass of scotch in salute. Harry gritted his teeth to keep from snapping at him. He hadn't thought the Dursley's could sink any lower in his eyes but clearly they had.

"What's the baby's name anyway?" Harry asked, making both of the Dursley's turn and stare as if he'd invited them to a Hogwarts family day.

"Why would we give the freak a name? We're not keeping it!" Uncle Vernon spluttered indignantly. Harry who still responded to their use of _Boy _wanted to scream at them, but the baby had now started crying for real.

"Get it quiet! I won't have the neighbours talking!" Aunt Petunia snapped. Harry turned and stalked out of the kitchen with clenched hands. He _so_ wanted to hit someone and any of the Dursley's would work for him at the moment.

He pushed his bedroom door open slowly before entering the room. The cries got louder as he got closer to the baby and he winced. He approached the baby with caution, he couldn't remember ever having been this close to a baby before.

"Er, there, there little one. Everything will be alright." Harry mumbled awkwardly. He lifted the carrier onto the desk and just stared at the red, scrunched up, angry face for a while in terror. What on earth was he supposed to do now?

He looked around the room searching for anything that could help him. But the only things belonging to the baby were a few pieces of clothing, packets of nappies, the stuff on the desk and all of the soiled nappies littering the floor. Harry kicked one of the stinky parcels to the side and vowed to clean up as soon as the baby got quiet. Maybe it was hungry? He lifted the tub of formula and read the instructions, it couldn't be harder than doing potions. Warm water, mix the powder into it and feed the baby. Easy.

A few minutes later the bottle was made, but the mixture was boiling hot and Harry didn't think it could be given to the still screaming baby yet.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry." Harry muttered pulling his hand through his hair making it stand up wildly. He took a deep breath before pulling on all his Gryffindor courage.

He was going to remove it from the carrier.

He pressed the button that was keeping the straps connected and carefully grabbed hold of a tiny arm which he carefully manoeuvred out of the straps. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest at any moment. The baby's arms were tiny. The baby was tiny, period. After the straps had been battled he stood deliberating on how to get the baby out, of the carrier.

The crying was making his ears ring, how was he supposed to think when it never stopped.

He slid one hand under the baby's back and slowly raised the tiny body out of the seat. It didn't seem to have any control of itself and Harry quickly put his other hand under the baby's floppy head. He held the baby stiffly and eyed it hopefully.

It didn't stop crying and Harry found to his disgust that the hand holding the baby's body was getting wet. He closed his eyes and steeled himself, he was going to have to change it.

He turned to one of the packets containing the clean nappies and then froze. He was going to have to put the baby down in order to open the nappy. He looked at the carrier then at the bed.

The box had to go, he couldn't believe they'd put the baby in a cardboard box but at least they hadn't left it in his cupboard.

He moved the box off the bed using his foot and then gently placed the screaming baby in the middle of his bed. He grabbed one of the nappy packets and stared at it in puzzlement.

It took him a while but after studying how the wet nappy was fitted he managed to get the new clean one on. The baby had not helped at all, it had continued screaming and had flailed its arms and legs wildly making Harry's job much harder.

He tried the bottle and found it much cooler and with a hopeful feeling in his gut he held the bottle to the baby's mouth.

Blessed silence filled the room and Harry slumped with relief on the bed. The baby suckled greedily on the bottle and Harry eyed the quickly emptying bottle with fear. Should he make another one? Would the baby start screaming again as soon as it finished? There was a small slurping sound as the last of the formula disappeared. He eyed the baby with bated breath. But no sound came out.

It didn't seem quite able to focus on his face and Harry worried that maybe it couldn't see very well. Maybe there was something wrong with it. He figured the Dursley's hadn't brought it to the doctors for a check up.

The baby gave a small cough and then spluttered out a fountain of the formula it had sucked down a moment earlier.

Harry quickly held the baby as far from himself as he could and only just managed to avoid getting splattered. The baby's bottom lip trembled and then it started crying again making Harry groan.

"Shh, it's alright, just a bit yucky. We'll have you clean in a jiffy." Harry mumbled sighing in relief when the baby actually stopped crying. He stood up and moved towards the door, he'd have to give her a bath.

Still holding the sticky baby away from himself, he made it into the bathroom where he realised he had no idea on how to bathe a baby.

He guessed that they didn't go into the tub as the baby was the size of his arm. He glanced at the sink and shrugged, it would have to do. Raising a leg onto the toilet seat he leaned the baby on his raised knee, freeing up one of his hands, he filled the sink with warm water and then focused on undressing the baby.

He finally dipped the baby gently into the water, adjusting his grip when she started sliding in his hand. She seemed to like the water as she just blinked and stayed quiet.

Harry lifted her out when the water started cooling and by the time He made it back to his room, with the towel wrapped baby, she was half asleep. She didn't stir when he put a clean nappy on a barely stirred when he struggled getting the new baby suit on.

He really didn't want to put her into the box but as she had no bed and he worried about rolling on top of her if they shared the bed, he really had no other choice. Placing his pillow in the bottom of the box to make it a bit softer, his pillow was of course the thinnest in the Dursley household, he then gently transferred her from the bed into the box and draped the blanket over her.

She was kind of cute, he thought, now that she'd stopped crying and spitting up things. Her hand was in her mouth and her short hair was curling as it dried. But she sure was small. Harry wondered if he should put her on her stomach in case she threw up again , so that she wouldn't choke, but didn't dare touch her now that she was sleeping again.

He looked round the room he had lived in during the last five summers and shook his head in dismay, why did they have to leave the dirty nappies on the floor? How hard was it to put them in the bin?

He quietly crept out of the room and went downstairs to get a couple of bin bags, he had a mess to clean up after all. His aunt and uncle were seated in front of the television enjoying themselves and Harry had no idea where Dudley was, but honestly he didn't care anymore, they were a selfish, rotten bunch as far as he was concerned.

He made quick and quiet work of all the smelly nappies and dumped the two nappy filled bags in the hallway. He didn't care what happened to them as long as the smelly things were outside his room. He dragged his trunk up the stairs and left it at the bottom of his bed.

Once he was back on his bed he glanced over at the baby who continued to snooze contently. He really should write a letter to Dumbledore and explain the situation but thinking about letters made him remember the letter from the baby's mother. He dug it out from his pocket and gave it a second reading.

_For Dudley June 15th _

_My name is Charlotte and we met nine months ago in the park outside the liquor store. We made out in the bushes after you gave me your beer and then you had to go home with your friends. You said I wouldn't get pregnant but I did. I didn't tell anyone I was pregnant and my parents would kill me if they found out their precious, ,catholic, little girl had a baby. They think I'm still a virgin and we both know you took care of that._

_I had to skip class today and had her in one of the toilets by the bus depot. I'll get into so much trouble for this with the nuns if they find out, so don't you dare try and find me. _

_I don't want her so you'll jut have to take her, I don't care what you do with her, as far as I'm concerned she never happened._

_Charlotte_

Harry shook his head, he hadn't thought anyone else could be as bad as the Dursley's but clearly the girl would have fitted in with the Dursley family just fine if it hadn't been for the baby.

He yawned and grabbed some paper from his trunk. Putting down the happenings of the day and a plea for help would have to do Harry decided he was exhausted.

Hedwig flew over from the cupboard and let Harry give her a stroke before he tied the letter to her leg. He watched her fly fighting yet another yawn before pulling his glasses of and lay down hoping for some sleep.

If he'd known what the night would bring he in terms of crying and bottle making, he might not have fallen asleep so easily.

**End of chapter 1.**

_**So what do you think?Mina**_


	2. Chapter 2

_So not too many comments yet but the reviews I have received have been positive and well received Thank you lovely people. Here is the second chapter which will hopefully give a bit more insight to how the story might develop. I have a plan of course, but I'm not telling! Yet…Muhahahah…_

_Many thanks again. Mina_

**Dumbledore knows best.**

_**Chapter 2. **_

Two nights had passed since school ended for Harry and he'd started what was supposed to be his summer holiday. He was exhausted and didn't think he'd actually managed to get any real sleep since before coming back to the Dursley's.

It was of course, all because of the tiny baby dumped into his clueless care.

The only positive thing so far about having the baby was that it took his mind of having lost Sirius and the pressure of having the Prophesy hanging over him.

Who had time for Voldemort when there was a hungry baby demanding your attention day and night?

The first night in charge had been the worst by far.

He'd been woken up after what had felt like just a few minutes of sleep by a very red, angry looking baby. It was clear that she'd been howling for quite a while before he'd actually woken from his sleep. All those years of living with snoring boys at Hogwarts had clearly made him more immune to sound than he'd thought possible. He'd fed her a bottle and changed his first really revolting nappy before placing, what he'd thought was a happy baby back into bed. The baby had let him know just how _not _happy she was feeling and after what had felt like an eternity later Harry had been forced to give up. He'd sucked up whatever pride he had about not wanting his aunts help and put the baby above his own feelings.

He'd crept into his aunts and uncles bedroom to ask for help, only to find them sleeping soundly with earplugs to get away from the unhappy crying that the baby had been doing for quite a while now. His uncle when woken had thrown him out of the bedroom with a promise of pain if Harry ever dared to disturb their sleep for help with the freak ever again.

Harry had wondered if the baby had done magic already, only because they'd left it to scream all night.

After pacing the floor in his bedroom with a howling baby propped up on his shoulder for an hour, the little girl had let out a very unladylike burp before relaxing into sleep right there on his shoulder. Harry had collapsed into bed exhausted after depositing her carefully into her makeshift cot again. He was never having children of his own had been his last thought before losing consciousness.

Hearing her cry again an hour or so later had nearly brought him to tears. It had taken him another two hours of pacing the room before she had settled down once again, during which, Harry had had ample time to plan out the most gruesome deaths, tortures and _accidents_ imaginable for Dudley.

During the second night with the baby he'd finally realised that a bottle followed by a burp meant he'd get more sleep before the next feeding session began and so he'd had at least a bit more sleep than the previous night. He now lived with a glimmer of hope that he'd somehow survive this baby caring business.

Hedwig had yet to return from her mission to enlist help from Dumbledore and Harry wondered what was taking her so long. He was hoping that the baby could stay with The Weasley's as Mrs Weasley was the best mum he knew but if the Weasley's couldn't do it forever then Harry figured he could take over once he finished Hogwarts. It was only two years left until graduation after all.

It had now been three days since school ended but it felt like a lot longer to Harry. Being coped up in the house for this summer again was not something Harry wanted to repeat.

He'd decided that he and the baby needed some air, well he needed some air and didn't trust the Dursley's to take care of the baby in case she cried, so here they were down in the kitchen with Dudley staring at them from across the table in terror.

"Do you have a library card?" Harry asked suddenly making Dudley eye him stupidly.

Harry glared at him in tired frustration, he really didn't have the energy for battling with Dudley right now but he needed to get some information on how to care for the baby and the library seemed the obvious choice of place.

"I've barely had any sleep because _your_ baby has been keeping me up all night, your mum won't help me or tell me what to do, so you had better hand over your card or I swear I'll come into your room tonight and show you what I can do with the aid of magic!" Harry snapped before drawing a deep breath getting ready to let more of his frustration out but he was left staring at the empty spot where Dudley had been in a moment earlier and had to be happy with simply huffing as Dudley had disappeared. He eyed the baby, who was sleeping in the carrier Harry had placed on the table, before taking another bite from the toast he'd made earlier.

Dudley had run out of the room so quickly it almost seemed as if he'd apparated and a moment later Harry heard him thundering down the stairs. Dudley re-entered the kitchen with his card held out for Harry to take and he snorted at the pristine-looking card which definitely hadn't been used before.

It had the Smeltings school name taped on the back and Dudley obviously only had it because the school had given it to him.

Dudley gazed at the baby with fear again before disappearing back upstairs to his room, no doubt worried that Harry might pass on the responsibility of caring for the baby onto his shoulders but Harry wouldn't give Dudley a Flobberworm to care for.

He finished his toast and eyed the still sleeping baby with a thoughtful look, maybe he should bring the invisibility cloak just in case someone bothered him about carrying a tiny baby around.

After getting the cloak down he went outside and headed for the library which he remembered was close to his old school. He entered the library and looked around in bewilderment, where would they keep the baby manuals he wondered.

"Well hello there, can I help you?" Harry turned at the voice and smiled nervously at a librarian who stood eyeing him curiously.

"Er, hello, yes I'm er…helping my aunt with the baby and er…just wanted to learn a bit about them. Babies that is." Harry babbled nervously. The librarian smiled at him brightly.

"How lovely! It's good to see a boy your age helping out with baby sitting, your aunt must be very grateful for your help." She said moving closer and bending over the baby he carried.

"Isn't she lovely, how old is the little lady then?" She gushed making Harry count fast.

"She was born on the fifteenth so she's…eh…twelve days." Harry said in amazement, he glanced down at her marvelling at the fact she'd only been living for twelve days. It was insane that she'd only been around for such a short space of time.

The librarian smiled at the look on his face.

"Such a precious little thing, what is her name then?" She asked fussing with the blanket Harry had placed across the baby's lap. Harry stiffened at the question as the baby didn't have a name, well it seemed he'd just been given yet another new skill to master, baby naming.

"Rose. She's called Rose." Harry finally said. A flower name was after all a family tradition, his mum being Lily and his aunt Petunia. The librarian made loads of weird cooing noises at the baby after receiving the name and Harry desperately hoped that baby Rose wouldn't wake up.

"Well, I'll just have to take you to the books myself, there are so many different baby care books and knowing which to choose can be hard. Besides she's such a cute little thing I want to keep her in my sight." She said motioning for Harry to follow her as she walked towards one section of the library.

Harry followed gratefully and was happy to see Rose still slumbering in her seat despite the earlier attempts to wake her.

"Do you live locally then?" The librarian asked making Harry grimace at her back, he didn't want loads of questions asked he just wanted some books.

He hummed in agreement which seemed to be enough and stopped by the shelf she was standing by.

She was right, there were a lot of books to choose from and she certainly did help him make the task easier. Twenty minutes later with three new books on infant care, three picture books for the baby and a very hungry sounding girl, Harry quickly made his way back to Privet Drive where his aunt had looked furious when he'd entered the house, screaming about neighbours asking questions.

"Well, I had to tell them you were the father of course! Everyone here knows what a failure you are after all! It came as no surprise to anyone that you'd be the one boy in the neighbourhood to get a girl into trouble." She'd snapped, making him gape in disbelief.

She'd told the neighbours that the baby was his? Even though Dudley was the one who'd messed up! Harry wondered if she actually thought about what was coming out of her mouth before she opened it. He'd sent her a glare before disappearing up into his room where he was now enjoying the silence.

After feeding Rose her desired bottle, Harry got comfortable on his bed with the baby on his lap and one of the books in hand. He quickly got absorbed in the book which was starting to worry him with the amount of information there was to learn.

The bottles needed to be sterilised, he should use new water for all bottles and a picture in the book showed that the baby was supposed to have a black thing on her tummy that would fall of later.

He'd not sterilised any of the bottles, had used whatever water was left in the kettle before refilling it for the next few time and she certainly didn't have anything on her tummy other than a small round belly button. If he killed her or made her sick he'd never forgive himself.

He raised the book and snuck a glance down at her and took comfort from the fact that she looked healthy enough, he had obviously not done any serious damage yet.

He had learnt that he was supposed to pat her on the back after she'd eaten so she could burp or she'd get painful stomach cramps which made him feel bad as he'd silently cursed her for not being quiet, but he felt quite proud of the fact he'd figured the burping out on his own the previous night.

But the more he read, the angrier he became at the Dursley's. If they didn't want to take care of her then fine, he'd do it! But to not teach him the basics out of spite made him furious. To purposely cause a small baby pain just because she was different was an indication on just how uncaring they were and that it wasn't just aimed at him.

There was a sudden flapping noise by the window and Hedwig appeared carrying a letter, she flew over to the headboard of his bed and eyed him with big eyes.

"Finally! What took you so long?" Harry said making her fluff up in indignation at his tone of voice.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I know you flew as fast as you could. It's just that I haven't slept very well and I'm a bit grumpy. I'm sorry for snapping at you, girl." Harry mumbled rubbing his eyes tiredly. She hooted softly and held her foot out accepting his apology.

Harry shifted carefully into a more comfortable position before tearing open the envelope, he was sure that Dumbledore knew best about where to send Rose but he really hoped the Headmaster had asked the Weasley's for help. Hedwig took of for her cage and was soon resting with her head under her wing, clearly tired after her long delivery.

He let his eyes roam over the letter quickly, before reading it again more carefully. He then reread it as he couldn't believe what had been written.

Dear Harry

_I am sad to hear of your troubling family news. However, I'm sure that your family situation will resolve by itself, babies do after all have the power to charm their way into all hearts._

_As this letter reaches you I am sure the matter has been resolved already. _

_If it has not, then I would of course be happy to send a letter stressing the present situation in the wizardry world so that your relatives comprehend the dangers of sending a muggleborn baby into it._

_Should the matter be irresolvable, I will of course place her in an upstanding muggle family chosen by myself. _

_I do not think the Weasley's would be the choice of family as they are already under considerable pressure due to being regarded as blood traitors. We should not put them in more danger than they already are. _

I am yet again in awe at the level of responsibility you have shouldered but must stress that your obligation at this time will need to be with the wizardry world as we work on bringing an end to Lord Voldemort's reign of terror once and for all. We have a long road ahead of us and must focus on our goal which will in the end help the child. The baby will be cared for either by your relatives or by some other loving family. And when she is eleven she can join our world just as you yourself have.

_On a more positive note, I am pleased to write that The Weasley family have invited you to come to The Burrow in a fortnights time, to spend the reminder of your holiday there, I shall personally come and escort you._

_If you are agreeable ,I should also be glad of your assistance in a matter to which I hope to attend on the way to The Burrow. I shall explain this more fully when I see you. _

_Kindly have dear Hedwig pass your answer back to me when she has had sufficient resting time._

_Hope to see you on Friday the 5th of July._

_I am, yours most sincerely_

_Albus Dumbledore _

Harry didn't know how long he sat there staring at the letter. He just couldn't believe what it said.

Dumbledore was ready to leave her here with the Dursley's after all _he_, Harry had suffered at their hands and to even suggest dumping her at some strangers door made him go cold. What was the man thinking, had the world gone mad? First the Dursley's and now the man Harry had thought he could count on for help.

No way, were any of those two suggested options going to happen. She was most definitely not staying here, no matter what Dumbledore managed to say to convince the Dursley's to keep her.

Harry could just imagine her growing up in the cupboard, being shouted at for every little accidental magic she performed and never told the truth of her ability until the letter arrived. No! That was not going to happen, not as long as he drew breath.

And she was not going to be dumped on some unsuspecting muggle family who would have no idea on how to care for her, and to have them receive a letter on her eleventh birthday explaining that she is a witch was just stupid as they already knew what she was. To then have her arriving into the wizardry world only to find out that she was related to _the_ Harry Potter, who'd let her be dumped into just any family, would make him feel awful.

She was a witch and belonged in their world with people who understood her and Harry never wanted her to grow up thinking that nobody in her real family cared about her.

He couldn't believe Dumbledore had even suggested any of it and to remind Harry that nobody and nothing else mattered until he'd killed Voldemort just made it worse.

To then expect him to go and have a good summer with the Weasley's, knowing that Rose had been left with either the magic hating Dursley's or some strange family clearly demonstrated yet again that the Headmaster knew nothing about what made Harry.

Rose gave a whiny noise, pulling Harry back from his distant, troubled thoughts, she was obviously about to wake for her next bottle.

He didn't have a sterilised bottle but now that he knew what to do he'd definitely do more than just wash them in the kitchen sink with washing up liquid. He slowly got out of the bed cradling Rose close to his chest and gathered the bottles on his desk and brought them down to the kitchen.

His aunt glared at him before heading of towards the living room in a huff, muttering about not wanting to be in the same room as them. Harry sorted out the bottles and was amazed when Rose continued sleeping through the noise he made pulling out the pot and sorting out the bottles and water. Harry wasn't the only one sleep deprived it seemed, she clearly hadn't enjoyed the past nights either.

It took an amazing ten minutes for the bottles to get completely clean in the boiling water according to the book so he grabbed a bite to eat after gently resting Rose on his shoulder as described in the book.

He arranged the bottles on his desk after they'd cooled enough to be moved upstairs and then mixed the formula in one of them before screwing the lids shut on all the other bottles too, as that somehow kept them clean.

Rose woke not long after and Harry spent the next hour by feeding her and giving her a bath in the sink again. He was actually enjoying the bath time as she seemed to relax completely in his hands as soon as she was in it and it was fun to watch her splash her hands into the water only to blink in surprise if water hit her face.

That night he sat staring at her for a long time as she slept, trying to think of a way to convince Dumbledore that she should be with them. That she couldn't be left clueless as he'd been in the muggle world. What if the other family suddenly started resenting her and her magic or something went wrong which only magic could fix? What then?

Maybe he had been wrong about Dumbledore really being the best person to ask for help. The Headmaster clearly didn't know best when it came to muggleborn children who lived with magic fearing families. He'd left Harry with the Dursley's after all. Besides why would you send a witch to live with muggles? He just didn't understand how a muggleborn baby could be safer in a defenceless family rather than one that could offer protection by the means of magic.

But what could he, Harry do? He was turning sixteen, he hadn't finished school, he…Harry stopped mid thought.

Was he not giving pretty much the same excuse as the baby's mum and Dudley? He could most certainly do better than them! And he could do better than his aunt and uncle for sure. And he thought he might even be better than an unrelated family as he in fact was related to her. She was his cousins baby, well she was probably more his baby than Dudley's he thought, as she'd probably spent more time with him than Dudley.

But he'd have to make a plan, had to look at different options. Should he perhaps contact the Weasley's and ask for advice even though Dumbledore had advised against it? He didn't want to put any of them into danger and as the same applied to Hermione's parents he scrapped that idea of asking them to help look after her as it popped up, besides they wouldn't be able to protect her as they were muggles.

It was odd he thought, how quickly he'd gotten attached to her as just two days ago he'd been furious and resentful at having her dumped on him.

She really was cute when she slept, the dark hair she had obviously inherited from her mother curled around her head after her evening bath.

Harry stroked a finger softly over her round cheeks and smiled when she pouted her lips.

Yes he she was definitely a cute baby, how anyone could just give her up without a thought to her safety was beyond him. He would have to keep her safe, make sure she grew up being happy as nobody else seemed up for the job. It was just him and little Rose now. He was the only one prepared to take on the responsibility of caring for this new little witch.

And at this precise moment, as he sat staring at her sleeping form he thought he might actually be up for it.

_**So any thoughts? The next chapter will probably take a little longer to come as i have yet to start writing it. And i'm trying to get on with my old story...Mina **_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Thank you for all the positive reviews. Just wanted to let you all know that this WON'T be a Dumbledore or Weasleys bashing fic:) I love them all! (Have had a few comments...) so no bashing! __Mina_**

**The Great**** Escape** _Chapter 3 _

Harry and Rose had gotten into a routine during their week spent together.

Rose would be fed first thing in the morning before Harry had his breakfast, then they'd go out for a walk as she slept.

Harry felt he would go mad if he had to stay in the house more than necessary and it said in one of the baby books that fresh air and sunlight was important for the baby's development.

They had also become a regular sight in the park after lunch, where they would sit under one of the trees away from direct sunlight. When Rose awoke Harry would give her a bottle before reading to her from one of the picture books. He wasn't sure why he was supposed to read to her as she couldn't understand a word but he figured it might help her learn to talk quicker or something.

The neighbours had stopped glaring at him and now nodded somewhat cordially whenever they saw him out and about, much to his aunts disgust. Harry figured it was because they saw him take responsibility for what they thought to be his baby. Aunt Petunia couldn't stomach Harry getting any positive attention even when it was hard earned and she seemed to have forgotten that Dudley was the real father of Rose, not him. She had started snapping at him to remove _his_ brat from her presence whenever she saw Rose, Harry who figured his aunt would never change couldn't be bothered to snap back at her.

Harry had witnessed Rose doing magic for the first time the other day. He'd been having his first proper shower of the week as he'd been too busy and nervous to leave her alone in his room in the beginning. She slept pretty well now after eating and so he had thought he would be able to catch a quick shower before she woke.

Hearing her scream had made him finish his shower in record time and he'd exited the bathroom clad only in his towel and with water still dripping from his hair to see what the fuss was about.

Dudley had stood in a corner of his room clearly terrified as the desk shook and the cupboard doors slammed open and shut. Poor Rose had been in her box with her fists clenched tight and a pitiful pout on her lips.

"What did you do?" Harry had demanded making Dudley splutter and wring his hands. Harry had walked over and lifted the distressed baby out of her cardboard bed whilst giving her a good once over. He had been satisfied that she didn't seem to be injured in any way and when she stopped crying he had turned back to the gaping Dudley.

"What are you doing in my room anyway?" Harry had demanded when Dudley started edging towards the door.

"She was screaming and mum said to make her quiet. I was trying to tell her to be quiet but she just screamed louder so was going to put the blanket on top of her head like mum did, before you came in." Dudley had said backing out of the room.

"She's a baby and she doesn't understand you, you fool! And don't you dare put anything on top of her head, she won't be able to breathe you idiot!" Harry had snapped furiously. Merlin save him from his relatives stupidity, but it did explain how Dudley had ended up as he had.

Dudley had turned and fled the room quickly, leaving Harry with a now quiet and docile baby.

"I'd cry louder if he was standing over me too." Harry had said comfortingly, before placing Rose in the middle of his bed so that he could get dressed.

The incident had left Harry in turmoil. It was clear they couldn't stay here at the Dursleys, he wasn't able to leave his room even for a short period of time without worrying about her safety. What if he had left Rose to cry a moment longer as he finished his shower and Dudley had managed to suffocate her? The thought made him go cold with dread, they needed to get away from the Dursleys house.

The next morning had dawned bright and early and for once Rose was not the reason for Harry waking early. Rons owl Pig dive bombed him and had deposited a red letter on his stomach.

Harry quickly leaned down and cupped his hands tightly over Roses ears and watched in dismay as the letter started to smoke.

"HARRY POTTER, HOW COULD YOU HAVE BEEN SO IRRESPONSIBLE…" Mrs Weasleys voice echoed in his small bedroom and Harry saw to his dismay that Rose opened her eyes. She didn't cry but her bottom lip trembled and Harry hoped the Howler would end soon. "NYMPHADORA WENT BY TO CHECK ON YOU AND TELLS ME YOU HAVE A SMALL CHILD THAT THE NEIGHBOURS SAY IS YOURS…" Harry took a deep breath and shook his head, how could she think that he had gotten someone pregnant? "YOU ARE FAR TOO YOUNG TO BE COPULATING…WHAT WERE YOU THINKING…HOW ARE YOU TO CARE FOR THE CHILD WHILST BEING IN SCHOOL…" Harry closed his eyes in irritation and sighed heavily when Rose decided she'd had enough. Now he had Mrs Weasley screaming from the letter and the very unhappy baby howling from her cot. "I AM SORELY DISAPPOINTED WITH YOU, YOUNG MAN, VERY DISAPOINTED INDEED…SHE WILL HAVE TO STAY WITH YOUR RELATIVES, THE MINISTRY WOULD NOT ALLOW ARTHUR AND I TO CARE FOR HER AS YOUR AUNT IS REGISTERED AS YOUR CARER…BLOOD COMES BEFORE MAGIC AFTER ALL…OH HARRY…HOW COULD YOU HAVE BEEN SO CARELESS…" Mrs Weasleys voice drifted off as the letter burst into flames and Harry sighed with relief. He lifted Rose up and rocked her gently in his arms until her crying stopped.

"I'm sorry Rose, that was not a very nice way to wake up." Harry mumbled. How could Mrs Weasley have believed the word of someone else before checking with him first? And to send a howler when she knew there was a new baby in the house. And why were they still spying on him?

His head was full of conflicting thoughts and feelings as he got Rose sorted for the day. His irritation and anger towards all the adults around him grew as the day progressed and as the time for dinner approached, Harry had made a decision he hoped would be right for himself and Rose.

He had been eating dinner in his room pretty much every day since returning to the Dursleys but tonight he would make an appearance at the dinner table.

Uncle Vernon didn't look up from his roast when Harry entered the room and Dudley bent lower over his.

"Your plate is over there, ready for you to take up." Aunt Petunia said in dismissal from her seat.

"We need to talk." Harry said sitting down at the table. Dudley wolfed down as much food as he could before escaping the kitchen. He had been avoiding Harry like the plague since the magic incident in Harrys room.

"Are the freaks coming for the child?" Aunt Petunia asked, making uncle Vernon look up hopefully from his plate.

"Not exactly." Harry said watching his uncles face drop.

"Look, Professor Dumbledore wants to leave her here with you." Harry said in a tired voice rubbing his hand over his eyes, waiting for the explosion to happen.

"Over my dead body." Aunt Petunia snapped, true to form. Uncle Vernon was slowly changing colour prompting Harry to open his mouth again.

"Yes, I agree." Harry said quickly, meaning every word. Rose was not staying here as long as he had the power to stop it.

"Well, we will just leave her with child services then, I'm not having one in the house, not again." Aunt Petunia said, making Harry bite his lip hard and he took a deep breath, watching as uncle Vernon nodded in agreement to her words.

"No you will not, because I'm going to take her into the wizarding world and you won't hopefully have to see her or me again." Harry said making his uncle smile widely.

"About time as well. When do you leave?" Uncle Vernon asked happily, rubbing his hands together.

"I'd like to leave in two days time. I'm hoping that you could drop us off in London early in the morning when you leave for work." Harry said. He felt a bit light headed now that he'd gone out and said it. He and Rose were going to leave on their own.

"Rose and I will have to sneak into your car so that none of the guys watching the house spots me leaving." Harry said making his uncle smile even more widely.

"So the geezers from the station don't know you're leaving?" His uncle asked gleefully, he was clearly looking forwards to pulling the wool over their heads.

"I'm going to have to use my invisibility cloak to get into the car, so you'll have to figure out a reason for opening the back door for me to slip in through." Harry said.

Uncle Vernon shrugged, clearly not bothered now that he knew Harry and the baby were leaving.

"Could let me know what time you want to leave for work and I'll make sure that Rose and I are ready." Harry said standing up from the table. Uncle Vernon nodded and continued with his meal cheerfully.

Harry brought his own meal upstairs where Rose slept contently in her box. He was really hoping that the decision to leave was the right one to make.

He'd been trying to work out a way for Rose to stay with someone he chose. But after receiving the letter from Mrs Weasleys, he had decided that maybe he had to take more drastic decisions. He had put all his hope on them being able to help but he knew nothing about wizarding law and if Mrs Weasley said the ministry wouldn't let them care for Rose then he obviously had to do it himself. He was also slightly annoyed with her for the howler she had sent.

Harry was going to go to Gringotts and take out as much money as he could. He had noticed several flats for rent in the area which had given him the idea of renting something in the wizarding world. He only hoped he'd have enough money to last him for a while as he wasn't sure how else to get money.

Harry spent the next day packing their things into a rucksack he'd been handed by aunt Petunia. He wasn't sure how much he could bring with him under the cloak and had already decided to leave the trunk and all in it, for whoever came to the Dursleys to check on him, as it would be too big and eye catching.

He wasn't sure how all the things fitted into the bag but they did. He was deliberating on how to bring the baby carrier as it was too big and bulky to fit under the cloak. The baby book did offer tips on other ways of carrying babies and one looked interesting. He could tie a long scarf round his body and use it as a sling for Rose to lie in, it wasn't like he was going to need the carrier as he didn't have a car after all.

He would have to plan ahead for the next day with all the baby stuff she would need, a bottle or two at some point during the day and easy access to the nappies.

He packed some of his clothes, his album and Sirius knife in the bottom of the bag and all the baby stuff on top. He also packet one of the baby books, shrugging away the guilt of stealing it from the library. The Dursleys could pay for a new one.

Something he also worried about was people in the wizarding world seeing the two of them when they entered the Alley, they couldn't stay under the cloak the whole time after all. What he needed was a disguise, something that made him look un-Harry like.

But as he was one of the most well recognised people at the moment he wasn't sure how to go about it. Should he shave his head? Colour it? He had to keep his glasses as he'd be blind without them. But he could definitely do something with his hair and colouring it would be a short-term solution rather than having to wait for it to grow out again.

Later on in the evening after a busy day, Harry left Rose sleeping in his room and entered the bathroom. He was part curious, part reluctant to do what he was planning but it was a necessary evil.

When he exited the bathroom half an hour later, aunt Petunia who came walking up the stairs gasped loudly.

"What have you done?" She whispered, staring at him horrified.

"It's not that bad." Harry protested as he was rather pleased with how natural he looked. It had looked odd at first and it had taken awhile to discover why. His hair had been one colour and his eyebrows another, but he'd sorted it out by colouring them too. He didn't think people would think Harry Potter when they saw him now.

"You…you look just like…get away from me." Aunt Petunia whispered, making him shrug before he re-entered his room. He definitely didn't look as bad as she made him out.

Harry could hardly sleep that night, he had so many thoughts fighting for attention inside his head. Was he really doing the right thing? Was he really the best person to care for Rose? What did he know about babies after all?

But could he live with himself if he did leave her here with the Dursleys? That was the real question and he knew the answer to that one without having to think too hard. This was the only real option he could see for them.

Early the next morning Harry and Rose excited uncle Vernons car, which sped off as soon as the car door closed. Harry who had sent Hedwig off with a letter for Hermione was glad he only had the rucksack and Rose to look after. Hedwig had not been happy to leave her master, somehow knowing change was in the air. She had only left after Harry told her she could come looking for them after a day or two. She was just too noticeable to take to Diagon Alley.

Harry quickly walked to the entrance of The Leaky Cauldron and entered nervously. The pub was near empty at this time in the morning and Tom the bar keeper gave him a once over before going back to polishing the teapots lined up on the counter, much to Harrys immediate relief.

Harry calmly walked over to the back and let himself into Diagon Alley. He couldn't believe how easy that had been. Clearly having red hair and being fatter than usual was the perfect disguise for him.

He walked up the near deserted alley up towards Gringotts, nodding back at the Auror who walked past patrolling the area. They were obviously taking Voldemorts return seriously now. There were posters up showing Deatheaters and Harry figured it was better late than never.

He walked past two grimfaced goblins and an official looking wizard standing guard at the entrance to the bank. He was stopped by the wizard, who waved a long golden stick at him before nodding once and letting Harry continue into the hall. Harry wondered what that had been about but he wasn't about to stop and ask.

He spotted a goblin that had served him before and made a beeline for his counter.

"Hello, I'd like to have a meeting about my account here at Gringotts please." Harry said quietly. The goblin leant forwards and eyed him for a moment in silence.

"Your key, please, Mr Potter." It said, in a low voice to Harrys relief. He handed over his account key and forced himself to not look around nervously, as that would be a sure way of attracting attention.

"Wait here please." The goblin said, getting down from his chair. Harry saw him walk up to a goblin seated behind the first row of counters, at a stone desk. This goblin looked if possible even more forbidding than normally. They had a short conversation before the scarier of the two nodded. They motioned for Harry to come over.

"Griphook tells me you have questions regarding your account with Gringotts, he will take you to his office now Mr Potter." The scary goblin said imperiously. Harry nodded in thanks before following Griphook into a narrow corridor lined with doors.

The goblin opened one of the doors and Harry entered a lavish office.

"Have a seat Mr Potter." The goblin said after seating itself behind a large marble desk.

"How may Gringotts serve you today?" It asked when they were both seated.

"I would like to have a look at my finances." Harry said bluntly. "And I am also interested in finding some accommodations for myself. Is that something Gringotts can assist with?" He added when the goblin just stared at him.

"You are not yet of age Mr Potter and as you are still in the care of your muggle guardians there should be no need for separate accommodation. What reason would you have for requesting assistance from Gringotts concerning these matters?" The goblin asked after a short silence.

Harry opened his coat and leaned forwards, his heart beating wildly. The goblin stiffened at the sight of the sleeping Rose contained in one of his aunts flowery wrap-arounds.

"Is this child of your loins?" Griphook asked sharply.

"She is my cousins, but neither he nor her mother want the responsibility of caring for her. My relatives refuse to care for another magical child, so she is mine now." Harry said closing his coat again.

"Does the child have any other magical blood relatives?" The goblin asked, eyeing Harry intently.

"No, only me." Harry answered. Griphook leant back in his seat and stared at him for a moment.

"Wait here please, Mr Potter. I must speak to my supervisor." The goblin said before exiting the office. Harrys heart started pumping wildly in his chest again. If the goblins called for the ministry he wasn't sure what he'd do. The notion of having to fight them made him go shaky, but before he could panic too much Griphook returned into the room followed by a second goblin.

"This is Baric from the ministry liaison department, he will be overseeing the signing of the document." Griphook introduced, making Harry nod nervously at the new goblin. He had no idea what documents they were talking about.

"I, Griphook assess that The Wizard Harry James Potter is of sound magic, body and mind." Griphook said. The other goblin drew out a bunch of parchment from a pocket and dipped a quill into ink before starting to scribble on the top page.

"Is this child of your blood?" Griphook asked. Baric paused with the quill and eyed Harry intently.

"Yes." Harry answered, slightly puzzled as he'd already made that clear. Baric scribbled on the paper before studying Harry again.

"Are you the closest magical blood relative of the child?" Griphook asked next.

"Yes." Harry said again, leading to yet another notation being made on the paper.

"Has the child's biological parents relinquished their claim on the child?" Was the next question asked.

"Yes." Harry said, trying to catch a glimpse of the writing.

"Do you, Harry James Potter take on the responsibility of being the guardian of this magical child?" Griphook asked.

"Yes." Harry answered again. Were they really doing what he thought they were?

"I Griphook hereby grant you full custody of the child named…" Griphook paused and eyed Harry expectantly.

"Rose, her name is Rose." Harry said quickly.

"…the child named Rose Potter. May your magic shield and protect her always." Griphook finished, looking at Baric.

"Sign with your wand here please." Baric said, indicating at the paper. Harry pulled his wand out and touched the paper with the tip of his wand. The paper glowed golden for a second before Baric rolled the parchment up.

"Congratulations on acquiring your first heir, Mr Potter." Baric said. He nodded once at Griphook before walking out of the room leaving Harry alone with Griphook.

"Now that you are a magical Guardian, Gringotts will of course assist you in all the matters of gold." Griphook said leaning forwards eagerly.

"I have a full history of your account here." The goblin said pulling out a thick pile of parchment from a drawer.

"You wish to acquire accommodation for yourself and your child, Gringotts have several properties around the country which might suit your needs Mr Potter." Griphook continued. Harry took a deep breath.

"Why can Gringotts help me now and not before?" Harry asked, he was after all still underage.

"You are now responsible for a magical child under the age of seventeen, as such you have the full rights of any other adult wizard. You will need to clothe, feed and protect your child and to do so you will need capital and magic." Griphook said.

"What exactly does that mean?" Harry asked, feeling stupid.

"It means Mr Potter, that you may access your account fully and perform magic as you see fit. The signing of the Guardianship form stripped your wand of the underage trace. You are now considered as an adult in the wizarding world." Griphook explained patiently.

Harry blinked once.

"So I can do magic without the ministry knowing?" He asked, not quite believing what he was hearing.

"Yes." Griphook said, making Harry want to jump for joy.

"So Gringotts can help me with finding a place to stay? Can I afford it?" Harry asked feeling giddy with relief.

He and Griphook spent an hour discussing his affairs and Rose who woke halfway through was feed with a prepared bottle Harry had thought to bring.

Harry learnt that he had more than enough money to survive on for the moment. He was surprised to find out that Fred and George had been adding gold to his vault from their shop. Business was flourishing it seemed.

He was also informed that Sirius had left a will, which was in the process of being looked at, as there was a dispute from other blood relatives regarding his right to the Black estate. Harry who didn't want any of it had changed his mind at the mention of the other possible recipient, Bellatrix Lestrange receiving all, should he not accept. He would have to wait and find out the result of the dispute at a later date.

Griphook told him that although he already owned a house he shouldn't live there. Harry was shocked to realised that yes he did own a house. The house his parents had died in.

Godrics Hollow.

He definitely didn't want to live there.

Griphook was advising him to buy a small house rather than rent a property, as that would allow him to have his own choice of wards and protections set up. Harry who had no idea about wards, had been relieved to find that Gringotts normally warded houses as wizards generally didn't know how to.

They looked at a large amount of properties before Harry found what he thought was the perfect house for him and Rose.

Buying a house was scary Harry decided.

He couldn't believe that he was about to pay out 50.000 Galleons as it was a huge amount. He couldn't believe he had that much money and more in his vault in the first place. His parents had clearly been good with money and he hoped that he was making a good investment.

The house he finally chose was a detached three-bedroom cottage in the outskirts of a small country town. It was laid out over two floors and had an open plan kitchen and living room and a small separate study. The openness of the house suited Harry who liked space. It also came with a large garden, surrounded by fields, which Harry could see himself enjoying. Included in the price were several protective wards that he and Griphook had negotiated.

Griphook had suggested that Harry get a post box in the bank for all his mail. That way all owls would be directed to the bank rather than to his house, which would offer added security against any tracking spells. Gringotts would check and then deliver the letters for him which Harry thought it was a great idea. Hedwig would of course always be able to find him.

The two fireplaces in the house would be connected to the central floo point outside the bank which Harry thought was perfect considering he didn't know how to apparate yet.

It really was a good house for them he thought.

Griphook told him to come back in two hours time so the goblins could make sure the house was set up for them. He suggested that Harry visit The Magical Interior shop up the street for furniture.

He gave Harry a small green badge to show when he returned as security was heightened, it was going to get busier as the day progressed and Harry was grateful for anything that helped him stay away from crowded places.

He left Gringotts and was surprised to see the Alley still empty looking. It was rather eerie, almost as if he was the only one there. He spotted a few more Aurors walking the street and quickly walked to the shop.

A small bell rang when he opened the door and he heard someone move further inside the shop.

"Hello, how may I be of service?" A man stepped out from between two wardrobes.

"I'm moving into my new house today and need some furniture." Harry said looking round the shop.

"Ah, how lovely! Leaving the nest are you?" The man said excitedly. "What do you need then? Bedroom, kitchen and something for the living room I should imagine. Do you have any other furniture?" The man asked.

"I have nothing, I just bought the house." Harry said honestly.

"Well, I have everything you may need. Lets walk around the shop and you can point out anything you like." The man said looking around.

Harry managed to get a whole range of furniture. He was particularly happy with the cot for Rose, even though the shopkeeper had raised his eyes at the buy. Harry who hadn't realised just how much stuff he was getting was relieved that he could use magic to shrink everything down.

He left the shop with a bag full of shrunken furniture and a catalogue for owl-order if he thought of anything else he might need. He had an hour to spare until his house was ready and with Rose starting to make her self known he decided to go and sit at one of the cafés. He ordered a cup of tea and a sandwich for himself before pulling out a bottle for Rose out of the rucksack and soon sat feeding Rose in the back.

By the time he left, there were a few more people about and after a quick stop at Flourish and Blotts for another owl-order catalogue, he made it to the bank. Gringotts was definitely far busier than he had thought it would be, but showing his green badge had him taken straight to Griphook.

His house was ready and as he flooed to _The Old Cottage_, he felt a rush of relief envelope him. They had made it, they had pulled of the great escape.

_**So any comments**__** took me forever to **__**write and do hope you like it. Mina**_


	4. Chapter 4

_Hi glad you people liked the last chapter. Here is the next one, enjoy. Mina_

Home Sweet Home  
>Chapter 4<p>

Harry and Rose had flooed into _The Old Cottage_ followed by Griphook the goblin.

Griphook had given them a tour of the house, which Harry thought was perfect, before going through all the wards that had been put up around and on the property. The goblins had taken Harry's security very seriously, and the house was well warded with numerous wards.

Griphook had left him with a House guide, before flooing back to Gringotts.  
>The goblin had seemed bemused by Harrys obvious gratitude towards him, Harry was after all paying him good gold for his services.<p>

Harry was especially grateful for the book, _The New Homeowners guide to owning a magical property, _he predicted that it would be a lifesaver. It had tips on anything from how to de-gnome the garden to how you set up a secure floo connection.  
>He was also very interested in the chapter labelled, <em>Child safety: how to<em> _keep the small ones alive_. He could see himself reading that section of the book very carefully.

Whilst looking around the house, Harry had been pleasantly surprised to find that the cooling cupboard in the kitchen was full of food essentials, he had forgotten all about getting in food for himself. A small pamphlet stuck on the cupboard door advertised for a food delivery company.

_Floo Food:_

_The safe, fast and convenient way of food shopping. Hand your shopping list to the floo assistant at Floo Food and your shopping should be safely delivered within an hour to your fireplace, or receive half your money back._

Harry loved it! It certainly would make his life easier not to have to worry about where to buy his food from.

The crib was the first thing Harry took out of his shopping bag to be enlarged and after setting Rose up in her new bed, Harry started to place out the tiny furniture items around the house.

The shopkeeper at Magical Interiors had suggested that Harry placed everything out where he wanted it, before enlarging the furniture. It took him an hour to get everything sorted.  
>It was surprising how different a house could look once you'd filled it with furniture. There were still things missing Harry thought, but it was a good start to their new house.<p>

The kitchen was now set up with a small table and four chairs, he might at some point get company after all. The kind seller had also made sure Harry bought all the cutlery, plates and cooking pots he might need. Harry had not thought of needing that!  
>He was now grudgingly grateful to his aunt for having forced him to learn how to cook at the Dursleys. He wasn't Mrs Weasley, but he didn't think that he would be starving himself.<p>

The living room had a small two-seat sofa and a very comfortable armchair, which Harry hadn't been able to resist after trying out in the shop. He'd also bought a small table which now stood between the sofa and the chair. Hedwig had been gifted with a new perch which stood by the window, ready for when she got back. The room did look a bit bare, but he figured he'd have time to fill it as time went on.

Roses crib which Harry had enlarged earlier was still in the room as well, as little Rose still slept soundly under her new pink blanket. Harry was planning on moving that up to the bedroom next to his.

The library was pretty empty at the moment as Harry hadn't felt in a rush to get a desk. And as he'd left all his school books in the trunk with the Dursleys, the built in shelves that lined the walls looked very bare. He would order the furniture and any books he wanted for that room later.

Upstairs Harry had only sorted out his and Roses room, leaving the third room untouched. He guessed it might turn into a guest room at some point.

The bathroom was pretty standard and Harry was slightly appalled at having forgotten to buy towels. He would have to get that tomorrow as he had no intention of leaving the house today. He had at least brought his toothbrush with him when he left the Dursleys.

Harry had taken extra care when buying the furniture for his own room, as it was the first time he'd ever been able to choose what he wanted.  
>He'd bought a large, comfortable bed. The duvet and pillows were nice and thick, rather than thin and lumpy.<br>His wardrobe had doors that stayed shut and his new bedside table didn't look as if someone had thrown it across the room in a fit of rage. He thought he might get a rug at some point for the wooden floor as it was bound to be cold first thing in the morning. Changing the wall colour might be a project for the future as well he decided, but as it was a nice clean white at the moment so it wasn't a priority.

All in all it was the best room Harry had ever had. Rather bare, but he had time to make it perfect.

For Rose he had bought a small wardrobe, a changing table that doubled as a dresser. He had also bought another comfortable armchair for when he fed her in the night.

Her cot would go in one corner of the room as soon as she woke.  
>He definitely needed to get her a rug as she'd be on the floor soon enough. He wasn't a hundred percent sure how old babies were when they started crawling but he hoped it wasn't too soon.<p>

And he clearly needed to get her some toys, as she hadn't received any from the Dursleys.

Harry was rather proud of their house and his house decorating skills. It did feel strange to be able to do magic without having to worry about a ministry letter arriving, but he was quickly getting used to his new freedom.

After lunch, for both him and Rose, Harry decided they should continue their routine of going outside for fresh air as it meant they could explore the garden. The house boundary was marked out by the white fence that ran round the house, according to Griphooks instructions.

Harry was surprised at the size of the garden. When the goblin had talked about two acres he'd really not paid any attention.

He could play a real Quidditch match in the garden if he wanted, Harry thought gleefully.

Near the house someone had planted a vegetable garden, which looked in need of some care. The plants were sad looking in the dry soil and Harry looked around for a watering can before remembering that he could use magic.  
>He wondered if any of the other plants in the garden were magical and put getting a gardening book on his mental to-do list.<p>

There were so many different things he needed to take care of, in and around the house but he couldn't help but love it. It was his and Roses house and he could do whatever he wanted with it.

After eating dinner and settling Rose for the night, Harry sat down on his new bed and made a proper list of things to buy for the house. He also made a list of things to do, like contacting the order to let them know he'd left the _safety _of Privet Drive.

They may not have realised that he and Rose had left after all. Harry could picture them standing guard outside number four, wondering why he didn't go out for his walks anymore.

He would have to wait for Hedwig to return from Hermione before he'd be able to send any letters of course.  
>And as he was still mad about how Tonks had handled the issue of Rose, he felt it might serve them right to panic for a while. At least for a few days.<p>

He hoped Hermione wouldn't get mad at him for hiding Hedwig with her, when she found out that he'd left the Dursleys without permission.  
>He also hoped that she wouldn't be too mad at him for not telling her that he was leaving the Dursleys in the first place.<br>She would probably send him a long letter at some point, telling him off for leaving without the orders knowledge and give him all the reasons why he shouldn't keep Rose.

But keeping her he was, she was his now, the goblins had called her Rose Potter after all.

Harry would have sent Hedwig to the Weasleys if it hadn't been for Mrs Weasleys howler.  
>He was rather sore still, about how easily she'd believed that he'd gotten someone pregnant.<br>She had believed the rumours about him and Hermione being an item in fourth year as well, he remembered crossly.  
>It wasn't as if he'd had lots of girlfriends, he thought angrily. The only girl he'd ever fancied was Cho and that hadn't exactly worked out well.<p>

If he was honest, he could imagine Mrs Weasley sending a howler to any of her own boys if the roles were reversed.  
>But she would have to apologise before he forgave her though, he thought indignantly before crawling under the covers.<p>

He didn't manage to get to sleep, until after he'd moved Rose and her cot into his bedroom. It felt wrong to leave her alone all night, she might wake up and be frightened after all.

Harry was surprised the next morning when the fire in the kitchen roared to life. He was out of his seat with his wand pointing at the fireplace in an instant.  
>Rose was sleeping in a small basket Harry had conjured up as a makeshift carrycot and he stepped in front of her to shield her from danger.<br>He didn't lower the wand until he realised that it was a goblins head in the fire. Gringotts was after all connected to his fireplace.

"Mr Potter, I have your daily newspaper, a ministry leaflet and a missive from your account manager Griphook." The goblin said, taking no notice of Harrys tense appearance.

"Er, thank you." Harry said, before bending down to receive his mail. The goblin disappeared from view as soon as Harry had the mail, and the fire died down as quickly as it had appeared.

Harry placed the Daily Prophet and the purple leaflet on the table before opening the letter from Griphook.

_**Mr Potter**_

_**Gringotts is pleased to tell you that the matter of the Black estate has now been resolved.  
><strong>__**You are as of today the 7th of July 1996 the sole benefactor of the entire Black estate.  
><strong>__**The gold has been transferred from the Black vault to the Potter vault.  
><strong>__**The ownership of the Black property: Grimmauld place and one house-elf has been noted into your account data.  
><strong>__**To activate the elf-bond, simply call the elf to your person and order it to do your bidding.**_

_**On a happier note, I have included your child's birth certificate which needs to be completed.  
><strong>__**Please sign the form magically so that a copy will be registered with Gringotts.**_

___**May your wealth continue to grow.  
><strong>__**Griphook, account manager, Gringotts, London**_

Well that was that, Harry thought sitting down heavily on his chair. At least Bellatrix didn't get anything, which was the most important thing.  
>He wasn't sure what to do about Grimmauld place and Kreacher though. Maybe the order would like to continue using it as a base? He could ask Remus to take care of the place.<p>

Harry picked Rose up from her makeshift cot and put up a shield charm around them before calling Kreacher.

"Kreacher won't go to the Potter brat, Kreacher won't, Kreacher belongs to the Blacks, Kreacher wants his new mistress Bellatrix…" Kreacher was stomping around in the kitchen, pulling his ears. Harry, who had been staring at the elf in disgust, had gone cold at the mention of Bellatrix.

"Shut up." Harry snapped, watching as the elf grabbed its own throat before throwing itself onto the floor in a fit of rage.

"You will go to Remus Lupin and tell him that I, Harry Potter give him permission to stay at Grimmauld Place with the Order of the Phoenix. You will then return to Grimmauld place until I call for you." Harry said, eyeing the elf on the floor coldly.  
>"Oh, and you can't leave the house or talk to anyone outside the house and don't tell anyone where I am." Harry added quickly, just in case the elf decided to talk to Bellatrix again. Kreacher glared up at him from the floor with the deepest of loathing before disappearing with a loud crack.<p>

Rose started crying and Harry grumbled about deranged house elves before trying to settle her down again. He figured he could finish her birth certificate with the little information he had, and have that sorted.

Two hours later the fireplace flared up again and a letter landed on the floor. Harry who was enjoying a cup of tea whilst reading the Ministry safety leaflet, wondered why the goblin wasn't there to deliver this letter like he did earlier, maybe they only did that for letters from themselves, he thought.

He grabbed the letter and was surprised to see that it was from Remus.

_**Dear Harry**_

_**I was just accosted by Kreacher, who informed me that I am to live at Grimmauld place on the orders of his unwanted Master, the Potter brat.  
><strong>__**Professor Dumbledore would like to know how you have been made aware of Sirius Will, as he himself has just been made aware of the fact that it has been finalised.  
><strong>__**We are of course grateful to still have the house as a base and will continue to use it for that purpose. **__**  
>Professor Dumbledore will be picking you up on Friday at eleven, from your relatives, so make sure you are all packed.<strong>_

___**I'm sorry to hear about your relatives reaction to the new baby showing signs of magic. Professor Dumbledore will have a word with them when he comes over, which I am sure will resolve the matter.  
><strong>__**Tonks seems to be under the impression that you are the father of the baby, but I told her that there was no chance of that being true. You are far too mature and responsible to have gotten yourself into such a delicate situation. **_

_**I'm afraid that Tonks may have passed on the wrong information to Molly, I shall have a word with her and put the matter right when we next meet. I may not be able to write to you again as I shall be going on a mission for the order, but I'll definitely be thinking of you. **_

_**Have a good year at school.  
><strong>__**Yours truly, Remus Lupin**_

Harry couldn't help but feel smug after reading the letter. They obviously hadn't realised that he had left the Dursleys already.  
>He wrote a quick reply, writing that the goblins had contacted him with the information. It was the truth after all, he thought.<p>

He called Kreacher, after making sure Rose was safe behind a shield charm again. The elf grumbled about having to deliver the letter to filthy, blood traitors but left after Harry gave the order.  
>He did wonder what the Order would do when they realised that he was gone, would they manage to find him and Rose or would the wards around the house hold?<p>

Harry decided that he and Rose would go shopping again today. It was best to get all that stuff done before the order did realise that he was gone after all. Besides, his hair was still red so it was best to use the disguise until it grew out.

He flooed into the central floo point at Gringotts after vowing to read the chapter on floo connections when they got back.  
>The bank was packed with annoyed looking people cuing for the counters. Harry panicked at the sight of Ron's brother Bill who was stood talking with a goblin just a few meters away.<p>

Harry turned around and quickly got the attention of a goblin passing by.

"Excuse me, but is there a different way of getting to muggle London rather than walking through the Alley?" He asked, not really feeling up for walking through Diagon Alley if it was this packed.

"You may use the floo, call out Marble Arch and you'll appear behind a small alcove by the muggle tube station." The goblin said, looking harried, before he rushed of to the aid of another goblin.

"Thanks." Harry said to the retreating goblin. He wasn't sure where exactly Marble Arc was but he was willing to try his luck. He really should learn how to apparate though, he thought.  
>He quickly walked back to the floo point, careful to keep his back to where Bill was standing and called out for Marble Arch.<p>

Harry and Rose returned to the still busy bank four hours later, after a lot of shopping and a well deserved lunch. Bill was thankfully nowhere in sight.

He had almost had a heart attack a moment earlier, when he'd tried to floo home from the tube station and failed. He'd called out for The Old Cottage but nothing had happened, the fire had simply burn down. Luckily he'd been able to floo into Gringotts, making him wonder if the floo was accessible only to and from the bank. Or maybe it was more likely that it was because his house wasn't connected to any other floo networks.

Well he, Rose and the multitude of shopping bags were now safely back home.

Harry had found the perfect baby shop, not far from the station, called Mother care. It had everything Rose would ever need and more.

He'd bought pretty dresses, romper suits in every kind of girly colours there was. Tiny socks and lacy underwear, to cover the nappies whilst she wore the dresses.  
>He'd bought tiny slippers and bright bibs with pictures of animals.<br>She also had three new blankets, a pair of pale yellow curtains with white bunny rabbits sewn on.  
>He'd also bought a mobile for her bed and a soft, green rug for the floor. They had sold the formula she needed, so Harry had bought a couple of boxes of that too.<p>

The shop assistant, who had helped him pick and choose everything, had also convinced him to buy some fabric nappies, instead of the plastic ones. Harry had bought them simply because he figured that he'd be able to scrougify them easily when they got soiled. They were better for the environment too, he'd learnt.

He found some towels for them both as well, Rose got some small ones with hoods and he got some soft regular ones for himself.

The tiny baby now had more clothes than anyone else he knew and Harry was hoping that there was a spell to enlarge them as she grew.

He feared he may have gone overboard with the toy shopping as well! Rose had definitely got a bigger haul than even Dudley could wish for.

There were soft toys, books, balls and noisy things.  
>He wasn't actually sure that she was old enough to play with most of the things but they had looked interesting to him, so he'd bought them.<br>Besides it wasn't like the Dursleys would ever get her anything, so spoiling her this once wasn't going to do her any harm.

The shop assistant had looked worried when he declined the offer of home delivery, she was clearly wondering how he would be able to walk all the bags home.  
>Harry had of course shrunken the bags as soon as he was out of sight, before moving on to a café for lunch.<p>

After lunch Harry had gotten a few clothes for himself, nothing fancy, just some trousers that fit and a few t-shirts that weren't several sizes too big.  
>They had then walked around for an hour lost in London, as Harry had lost his sense of direction, before getting back to Marble Arch.<p>

Harry was tired but pleased with how productive the day had turned out to be.

He put Rose in her wicker basket and was emptying his pockets, off the small shopping bags, onto the kitchen table when a clicking sound made him turn sharply.

Hedwig was perched outside the window looking annoyed.  
>Harry rushed to let her in and had to duck when she slapped his head with her wings flying by. She seated herself on the back of a kitchen chair and clicked her beak at him crossly.<p>

"Sorry, girl. Hope that you weren't out there for too long. I didn't realise you were coming so soon." Harry said soothingly, wondering if he dared to try and take the letter tied to her talons. She ruffled her feathers and held out her foot imperiously.

"Thanks Hedwig. Let me show you the new perch I got you." Harry said after relieving her of the letter, he held his arm out for her to climb stiffly onto, before carrying her to the living room.  
>Hedwig flew from his arm to the perch by the window and turned her head around to survey the room. She gave him a last reproaching look before busying herself with preening her feathers. She was clearly not in a forgiving mood and Harry shrugged before walking back to the kitchen table where Hermione's letter lay waiting for him.<p>

Harry eyed the untidy script with uneasiness. Hermione usually had very neat writing so to get a letter with writing this rushed, was worrisome.

**Dear Harry**

_**I have received the most ridiculous news from Ron and felt I had to get back to you. Ron claims that you have fathered a child, which of course is utter bullocks! I mean, you would have said something, right? **_

_**I'm sure Ron has simply misunderstood the situation. Has your aunt perhaps given birth again or maybe it is your cousins baby? He's a bit of a dud after all, isn't he? I sent a letter back to Ron telling him what a stupid thing it was to believe as soon as I read his letter. **_

_**You, the father of a baby at fifteen, please. You hardly got to the kissing stage with Cho, just a bit of clueless fumbling. **__**As if you'd have been able to get any further at fourteen with anyone else.**_

_**Besides, you would have mentioned something in your letter to me, when I took Hedwig in. Right?  
><strong>__**Reply as soon as you get this so we can have this whole matter sorted once and for all.**_

_**Hermione**_

_**Ps. I'll be heading to the Burrow shortly so send your reply there. See you there soon, hopefully. **_

Harry wasn't sure how to feel after reading her letter. He was relieved to find that she didn't believe him to be Rose's real father. But did she have to be so descriptive of his shortcomings with Cho, he grumbled to himself.

And he really didn't want to tell her that he had taken on the role of father at fifteen. With or without any clueless fumbling.

Friday dawned bright and early for Harry, who'd had a restless night worrying about the Orders reaction to him leaving his relatives. Dumbledore would be visiting his relatives today after all.  
>He also worried about the strength of the goblins wards around the house, they would probably be tested to their limit if the Order found them.<p>

Harry leant over to peek into the crib and found Rose staring intently at the new mobile hanging over her head. She turned her head to look at him when he appeared though, which Harry took to mean that her eyesight was getting better.

They went downstairs for breakfast and Harry was relieved to find Hedwig in a better mood. Once he was seated with his breakfast, she flew over to nip him gently on the ear before being rewarded with a piece of bacon of his plate.

"It's a stay at home day today, Rose." Harry said looking down at Rose who lay in her basket next to his feet. She turned and stared at him before yawning sleepily. Clearly she wasn't bothered either way, Harry thought.  
>"We could order some more stuff from the interior shop. I want a desk and chairs for the study, and some books from Flourish and Blotts." Harry said, looking down again.<p>

Rose's eyes were drooping low and it looked as if she'd be asleep any moment. Harry turned to look at Hedwig who was regarding him through wise eyes.

"You don't mind going out for a bit of shopping do you?" He asked her. She puffed up importantly and bobbed her head.  
>"Great, I'll have the forms ready in a bit for you." He said.<p>

He wondered if the Interior shop sold radio's, it was too quiet in the house.

He went to the living room and collected the order catalogues and forms and returned to the kitchen table. He ticked in the furniture he'd listed the night before onto the order form from the Magical Interiors and added a wireless radio.

Harry wondered if Hermione knew about it being possible to Owl-order books from the bookshop. The catalogue was jam packet with all kinds of books.  
>Whilst paging through the catalogue he came across something he found very interesting, something that may be the solution to a worry he had.<p>

_The Ministry approved;_

_Home-schooling course package.  
><em>_Everything your child needs to pass their exams with ease.  
><em>_All from the comfort of the home.  
><em>_Courses have been tried and tested sine 1967 with very satisfactory results.  
><em>_Appropriate from ages: 11-17.  
><em>_Packs sold by year group._

_Special packs to prepare your child for their O.W.L's and N.E.W.T's.  
><em>_Practical and theoretical progress tests included.  
><em>_Floo points for trusted test centres, all over the British Isles have been listed in full.  
><em>_All exams are administered by the Wizarding Examinations Authority in June.  
><em>

Harry who had worried about not being able to continue with his schooling whilst taking care of Rose, thought that studying at home was the obvious answer.  
>He would stay at home caring for Rose and study at the same time. How hard could it be after all?<p>

In the end he ordered the sixth year study pack, containing all the classes he'd taken at Hogwarts. He wasn't sure what O.W.L's he'd passed after all.  
>He also ordered several defence books, a new baby manual and<em> A Complete Guide to Wizarding Plants<em>.

He sent the two forms off with Hedwig and thought he might actually have bought enough books to fill at least one shelf in the study.

As he sat there in the kitchen, he started to feel a bit uneasy about not having told the headmaster about leaving the Dursleys.  
>Perhaps he should let him know, if only to stop him from having to travel all the way to Surrey for nothing. Dumbledore was bound to be cross enough about Harry leaving in the first place, without then having wasted time for nothing.<br>He should definitely send the headmaster a letter.

He grabbed some paper and scribbled a quick note.

_**Dear Professor**_

_**I'm sorry to tell you that I have left the Dursleys house. I have taken Rose with me, as it would be stupid to leave her with them.  
><strong>__**I know you think you are doing what's best for her, but they really aren't the kind of people who should raise a child with magical powers. I mean, look at me!  
><strong>__**I also didn't like your suggestion of dumping her on some muggle strangers. She's a witch, I have seen her do magic myself!  
><strong>__**Besides that, she is my flesh and blood! We are family and she's staying with me.  
><strong>__**I'm all she's got and she's mine now.  
><strong>__**We left a couple of days ago and have been safe so far. So you don't need to worry.  
><strong>__**Sorry for letting you know this late, I was still angry with you.**_

_**Harry Potter**_

That should be enough, he thought. He wasn't going to say where they were and this way Dumbledore knew that they had left.  
>He was worried that Dumbledore might take Rose away if he found them. Not to be mean, but in order to <em>protect<em>her.

Harry loved her, she'd grown on him really quickly and he wasn't sure he could picture her with somewhere else anymore. Not even with the Weasleys, who were the best family Harry knew.

He called Kreacher, as Hedwig would be out for a long while still delivering her orders.

"Master has called Kreacher." The elf sneered, bowing down low.

"Deliver this to Dumbledore right away, don't stop until you reach him. And I order you to not reveal where I am to anyone, ever." Harry said forcefully. Kreacher glared up at him hatefully and snatched the letter from Harry's hand before disappearing with a loud crack.

He was dismayed to hear Rose sniffle and picked her up before she had a chance to burst into tears. He carried her up to her nursery and dug around her new toys, maybe it was time to test them out on her, see if she liked any of them.

He'd done his bit now and was determined to not worry about Dumbledore or the Order anymore. He was sure that he'd get a letter in a few moments from Dumbledore demanding him to do things, that he just wouldn't.

But until that happened, he was not going to worry about it.

_So, what do you think? What will Dumbledore's response be like? And will it really be as easy as Harry thinks, to study at home with a baby? I hope you like the chapter:) Mina_


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to send a review, I love you guys!  
><em>_So much anger directed at Dumbledore though… This is not a Dumbledore bashing fic, he's just in the dog house at the moment: ) __Hope you like, Mina._

**5. The Keeper**

It had been two hours since he'd sent the letter to Dumbledore with Kreacher and he had heard nothing in return. The uncertainty was driving him mad, even though he'd been trying hard not to think about what Dumbledore would do. The only positive thing so far was that nobody had come barging in through the front door yet.

Perhaps he should contact Griphook to make sure the wards placed around the house would hold.  
>It was Dumbledore and Voldemort they would have to keep out ,after all.<p>

Harry walked over to the fireplace and called out for Gringotts, after making sure Rose was safe in her basket.

"Yes?" A harried goblins appeared in the flames.

"May I speak to Griphook please?" Harry asked politely. The goblin disappeared from view for a moment.

"Griphook will see you in his office, He can be found at Gringotts, office thirty-four. " The goblin said. Harry deliberated for a moment whether he should leave the house or not, but in the end he wanted to make sure that they were safe from anyone finding them.

He nodded at the goblin and summoned a small bag, he'd stuffed full of things that Rose needed, whenever they left the house and then lifted the sleeping baby gently out of her basket.  
>Harry threw in more floo powder and called out for Griphooks office. They stepped out of the fire and were met by their account manager.<p>

"How may Gringotts help you today Mr Potter? Is the cottage to your satisfaction?" Griphook asked motioning for Harry to be seated.

"Oh the house is perfect, I love it, thank you so much for helping me find it." Harry said gratefully, just thinking of the house gave him a warm feeling.  
>"I wanted to ask you about the wards you cast on the house, you see, professor Dumbledore knows that I have left my relatives. He doesn't want me to take care of Rose and I'm worried that he'll take her away if he finds us." Harry explained honestly.<p>

"The wards are strong but I can not promise you that they won't fall. If you wish for the cottage to be completely hidden from all I suggest you get a Secret Keeper. As for the matter regarding your heir, you are the child's magical guardian and that has been lodged with the ministry of magic itself." Griphook said calmly.

"So the ministry knows that I have a baby?" Harry groaned. He hadn't been reading the prophet for the last couple of days and now wondered just what had been written about him.

"The child has been added to the ministry files as your heir. We took the liberty of putting her into her own file as she isn't your biological heir. It is the ministry's responsibility to check new files and move the child into their parents file. They are however notoriously slow, so it could take months or even years before they find her file and connect it with yours." Griphook said derisively, making a slow smile appear on Harry's face.

"Thanks." Harry mumbled. The goblin inclined his head.  
>"Um, how do I get a secret keeper? I mean what spell is used for hiding the house?" Harry asked. Griphook opened a drawer and pulled out a thick book.<p>

"I can cast the Fidelius charm needed on yourself and the person you trust to keep yourself and the child safe." Griphook said, opening the book and leafing through the pages.  
>"The spell is designed so that the Keeper is the only one left knowing the secret after the charm has been cast." Griphook continued, nose buried in the book.<p>

Harry wondered who he could ask. Even though he trusted Hermione and Ron explicitly they were just too obvious.  
>He didn't really trust any of the order members as they no doubt, thought that Dumbledore was right.<br>But who could he trust to keep them safe? Who would be brave enough to hide them, not only from Voldemort and the Deatheaters but Dumbledore as well?

"Dobby." Harry mumbled to himself. He jumped at the sudden crack that broke the quiet of the room and Griphook looked up from his book.

"Harry Potter has called Dobby, how can Dobby help kind sir?" Dobby asked looking ecstatic at having been called. He moved closer and peeked at the still slumbering Rose curiously.

"Harry Potter has a baby." He whispered, staring at Harry with big eyes.

"Er, yes this is Rose." Harry said nodding down at Rose. Dobby smiled and stood staring, transfixed at the baby.

"Dobby is happy for Harry Potter and his Rose." Dobby said after a moment.

"Dobby I wanted to ask you something and you can say no, if you don't want to do it, ok?" Harry said, waiting for Dobby to nod.  
>"I have left my relatives and now live in my own house, but it's not completely safe. I wanted to ask if you would be our Secret Keeper?" Harry asked.<p>

Dobby eyed him with big glossy eyes and seemed to have gone into shock. Griphook, who'd gone back to reading, stared at Harry equally shocked.

"Harry Potter is the greatest wizard, he asks Dobby the house elf to protect sir and baby." Dobby sobbed as tears poured down his cheeks.

"I'm not asking Dobby the house elf to protect us." Harry said leaning forwards, he wanted Dobby to know that he wasn't being ordered to do anything.  
>"I'm asking Dobby, my friend." He said. Dobby gave a loud wail and Harry grimaced as Rose jerked awake giving a cry of her own.<p>

"Bad Dobby, Dobby woke the baby." Dobby eyed Rose sorrowfully. Harry, who was becoming quite the expert at stopping her cries, just shushed them both.

"It's fine Dobby, she cries a lot." Harry mumbled, relaxing as Rose settled quickly in his arms. She looked slightly put out and Harry smiled at the little pout still present.

"Dobby will protect Harry Potter and his Rose to his death! Dobby will not tell anyone where sir is, even if they poke Dobby's eyes out or pull his arms off!" Dobby said forcefully.

"Er, thank you. I don't want you to die for me or anything Dobby, just don't tell anyone where we are, not even professor Dumbledore." Harry stressed, making Dobby nod.

"Harry Potter freed Dobby, now Dobby will help Harry Potter to be free." Dobby promised solemnly.

Harry looked at Griphook expectantly. The goblin was eyeing him with an unreadable look on his face.  
>"Will you cast the charm please?" Harry asked, making the goblins eyes widen slightly as if he hadn't quite believed that Harry <em>was<em>asking a house elf to protect them.

Casting the charm proved to be far simpler than Harry had thought.

Griphook had asked Dobby if he swore to protect the grounds and the inhabitants by keeping the location of The Old Cottage a secret.  
>Dobby had answered earnestly before clapping his hands excitedly as soon as the charm was applied.<p>

The elf had then apparated Harry and Rose from the bank and revealed the cottage to Harry.  
>Harry had invited Dobby in for a tour of the house, which Dobby loved.<br>They had then sat down for a snack, as Rose wanted her bottle, before Dobby left to go back to his job at Hogwarts.

Harry had insisted that Dobby return as normal and had asked him to keep an eye on Hermione and Ron, as he himself wouldn't be going back.

It felt like a huge weight had come off Harry's shoulders and he relaxed fully now that he knew they were safe from everyone. He trusted Dobby to keep them safe and doubted that anyone would guess the elf was his Secret Keeper.

Now it was just a matter of waiting for a response to his letter.  
>He guessed that Dumbledore might be upset with him for leaving the Dursley's early, without anyone's knowledge.<br>It would no doubt have an effect on the blood wards, but Harry was washing his hands of them. He was not going back to that house now that he'd experienced freedom.  
>Never again!<p>

The rest of the day passed slowly as Harry and Rose entertained themselves.

Harry discovered that Rose could lift her head for a few seconds when she was on her stomach, but she only liked it for a while before letting him know that she wanted up from the floor. He told her to not worry as he was sure she'd get stronger as she grew, she was after all very young still.

The next morning Harry trudged downstairs after yet another restless night to find Hedwig and two letters waiting for him in the kitchen.  
>He gave Hedwig a pat and removed the two small packages tied to her leg, before picking up the letters from the floor in front of the floo.<br>How Gringotts could still send him letters was a mystery to Harry, as Griphook didn't remember where the house was.

The packets taken from Hedwig were of course the owl-order things he'd ordered and he pulled the small items out excitedly. He would place everything out after breakfast he decided.  
>Who knew shopping could be so much fun?<p>

He turned to the letters next and felt a shiver pass down his spine.

His O.W.L's had arrived.

With all the excitement so far, he'd completely forgotten about the results arriving in the summer.  
>Even though he'd decided to not go back to school, he felt nervous about opening the large white letter.<p>

He ripped it open quickly and gave it a fast scan. He'd done better than he thought he would, seven O.W.L's in total.  
>Getting an O in defence felt great considering who'd been their teacher and seeing the E he got for Potions made him feel better about his decision not to return. He wouldn't have been able to become an Auror anyway.<p>

He wondered what grades Ron and Hermione had received. Hermione had no doubt gotten O's in all her subjects and would be worrying already about the N.E.W.T's in year seven.

He felt a sliver of regret about not attending this year or graduating with his friends, but looking down at Rose he decided it was a win, win situation. He would miss out on Hogwarts but he'd gain a family.

The second letter was from Dumbledore and he opened it with trepidation.

_**Harry  
><strong>_**  
>I am sorely disappointed by your actions. <strong>

**Leaving the safety of your relatives house is not only dangerous for you but also for the young child you have taken with you. **

**After having spoken with your aunt, she has agreed to let the child be placed with another family, for the child's own safety.**

**I have found a lovely squib couple who, I have no doubt will care for the little girl as if she was their own. They will teach her all she needs to know about the wizarding world, whilst keeping her out of harms way. I don't think you grasp the danger she is in, being a muggleborn and related to Harry Potter.**

**Your relatives will be expecting you back next summer as I have explained the necessity of you returning to Privet Drive. The wards around the house are invaluable for keeping you safe and they are the last embrace from your mother. **

**I ask that you not let her sacrifice have been in vain.**

**You are to send me the location of where you are so that I may come and collect the both of you.  
><strong>**It is simply far too dangerous for you to be out on your own Harry.  
><strong>**I hope that you understand that I am only looking after your welfare.  
><strong>**We have many things to discuss this year, regarding Voldemort and there is much that I will need teach you.**

**I shall await your owl most diligently **

**Yours faithfully  
><strong>**Albus Dumbledore**

Harry bit his lip hard to stop himself from swearing. A squib couple, return to the Dursleys? Never!

If he was so unsafe, why hadn't Dumbledore gotten to him already?  
>Because he Harry was safe, safer than he'd ever been before in fact.<br>No relatives to starve or push him around.  
>No teachers or creatures intent on killing him.<p>

He'd not even had a dream from Voldemort. And to drag his mum into it, did he think Harry would come crying?

He was pretty certain that his mum wouldn't have left any baby, no matter who she was, to be dumped with strangers.

Oh, he'd send Dumbledore a letter alright, but it wouldn't have any directions to his house in it.

He scribbled a short reply on the back of the letter angrily, before storming towards Hedwig. He didn't want to call Kreacher here now that the house was under the Fidelius. And it wouldn't do to have Dobby appear with the letter as that would call attention to the elf knowing where he was.

"Hi girl, can you take this to Dumbledore? Don't stay for a reply, I don't want anymore of his letters at the moment!" Harry snapped, tying the letter to her foot. He gave her a gentle stroke before sending her off on her journey.

Dumbledore was really making him angry now, why did he want Rose out of the way so badly? Sure, Harry was kind of young to take responsibility of a baby but he'd taken on the job and he wasn't stopping just because Dumbledore wanted him to.  
>And if Dumbledore wanted him to know something about Voldemort so badly, then he could send some more letters!<br>As for teaching him things, Harry had been a student at Hogwarts for the past four years, there had been plenty of time for teaching him stuff.

Harry lifted Rose from her basket and just held her, letting her presence soothe his bad temper.

"Sorry Rose, I don't mean to be a grouch, he's just really annoying sometimes." Harry mumbled into her soft curls. Rose gave him a small coo which Harry took as a sound of agreement.

They spent the remainder of the day in the study, which Harry was rather proud of, his new radio played softly in the background.

The desk was slightly grander than Harry had thought, but it somehow worked. He was rather surprised to see that he'd bought enough books to fill two of the shelves. But as the room was lined with shelves, it would probably take years to fill the rest of them.

He pulled out the new baby book and gave it a skim whilst seated by his new desk.

Rose lay in her basket holding a small rattle that Harry had put in her hand, she gave a small coo every time she managed to make a noise.  
>Harry wasn't sure if she realised that she was the one making the sound, as she looked surprised as soon as the noise reappeared.<p>

The Wizarding baby book was surprisingly similar to the muggle one, it just made a lot of the cleaning stuff easier, all you had to do was scrougify everything.

The next two days were spent at home without any interruptions, other than Hedwig returning from wherever Dumbledore was without any letters and the daily Prophet appearing, which Harry skimmed at best. He was not ready to forgive them for their treatment of him all last year.

They did seem to be printing _real_ news now though and reading that Fudge had been ousted from his office had made Harry very happy indeed.  
>But reading about attacks and deaths was rather depressing. Reading the baby books or the house manual was far more interesting.<p>

Harry also wrote a letter to Ron and Hermione ,to let them know in his own words how his summer had been so far.  
>He told them about the Dursleys, how unreasonable Dumbledore was being and how sweet Rose was.<p>

On the fifteenth of July, Harry realised that Rose was a month old already. He looked at her and was sure that she had grown during the two weeks they'd been together.  
>It made him feel guilty for not having bought a camera whilst out on their shopping trip, so that he could document her growth.<p>

He had never had his picture up on the Dursleys walls, whilst Dudley's face had been plastered everywhere. Harry wasn't sure where wizards bought their cameras, but maybe the Weasley twins could help him as they were in Diagon Alley.

He went in to the study and pulled out some parchment from the new desk.

_**Dear Fred and George**_

_**Congratulations on the booming business, I spotted some new gold in my vault, which I heard was from you. ****You know that the money wasn't a loan I hope, but thanks for the gold anyway. **_

_**I have as you no doubt know by now, run away from the Dursleys with my cousins baby, she's mine now though. **_

_**_Dumbledore isn't_ so keen about it though, so I'd appreciate you guys keeping hush- hush about me contacting you.**_

_**I'm mainly writing to ask if you could buy me a camera, Rose is growing fast and I'm feeling bad about not having any pictures of her. Do you know how to get the pictures developed? I don't want to send the film roll anywhere, as I probably wouldn't see the photos again.  
>Having a picture of Harry Potters new baby, may after all sell quite a few newspapers.<br>**__**I hope ten galleons will be enough to buy a camera, if not just let me know how much I owe you and I'll send it over.**_

_**Thanks Harry**_

Harry sent the letter of with Hedwig who seemed almost reluctant to go. She had by now realised, that there was no need for her to stay inside as nobody screamed if she was seen outside.  
>The fields surrounding the cottage were full of juicy mice for her to hunt and Harry had cringed more than once during dinnertime, when she'd appeared at the table bringing her own meal.<p>

That evening Harry made cupcakes for pudding, as a small celebration for Rose. He called Dobby over and they lit a small candle which Harry blew out for her as she slept through it.  
>Dobby assured him that nobody had asked him any questions regarding Harry so far, and that he wouldn't tell them anything if they did anyway.<p>

During the week that passed Harry received answers back from Ron and Hermione as well as the twins.  
>Ron and Hermione's letters had left him somewhat disappointed.<p>

Hermione's letter wasn't too surprising.

**_Oh, Harry how could you? _**

**_I can't believe you left your relatives house without telling professor Dumbledore. We are all frantic with worry here at the Burrow! You should have waited for the Headmaster to come and help sort the issue of the baby out.  
><em>__I agree that the baby_ can't stay with your relatives, but Harry taking her away on your own is not the answer!  
><em>_What if something happened or she got sick? What do you know about babies anyway? Has she had her check up and there are some really important vaccinations she will need. I read all about it when one of my neighbours had a baby. There is so much you need to know to be able to care for a baby successfully. Do you even have any books on baby care?_**

**_Where is she going to go when we go back to school? She can't come with you! It would be far too disrupting having a baby around when we are studying. This year is really important as it's the last chance before N.E.W.T's. _**

**_Harry, please come to the Burrow, we miss you.  
><em>_Hermione _**

**_Ps. Did you get your O.W.L's? I received ten._**

Yes, he'd been right in thinking Hermione would scold him for leaving. He wondered about what health checks Rose needed and made a note to read the baby book more carefully.

Ron's letter was less scolding and characteristically Ron.

_**Hey, mate**_

_**Finally had enough of the muggles? About time really. I can't believe you managed to escape right under the orders noses, brilliant!**_

_**Dumbledore is in a right state, he's asked both me and Mione if we knew where you are.**_  
><em><strong>I told him I didn't have the slightest clue, but it must be a brilliant hiding place if none of the order has been able to find you. Where are you anyhow? Maybe not tell me, in case they read your reply.<strong>_

_**Mum's going nuts, she's worried you're lying in a ditch somewhere with the baby half starved. She's blaming herself for having sent the Howler. Never thought in a million years that she'd send you one! Was it as bad as she makes it out? Bet it didn't top the flying car one!**_

_**Fred and George moved out! Can you believe that they've opened a joke shop in Diagon Alley? We'll be going there as soon as the book list arrives.**_

_**How did you get on with your O.W.L's? I got seven so mum's thrilled. Mione got ten and was disappointed to receive one E, bonkers she is! She's already getting excited about the next exams. Honestly we've got a whole year until the N.E.W.T's.**_

_**See you soon.**_  
><em><strong>Ron<strong>_

So Dumbledore was getting desperate, Harry thought. Good! Let him sweat.  
>Harry snorted at the last bit in the letter, he could definitely picture Hermione being disappointed about getting an Exceeds expectations. He wondered what subject it was.<p>

The twins letter on the other hand had cheered him up immensely and it wasn't only because of the bright orange parchment and the attached camera.

_**Dearest Daddy Potter  
><strong>**We are so proud of you, all grown up with a little one already.**_

_**As for leaving the muggles right under Dumbledore's nose, bringing chaos and confusion to the Order, well done Harry boy. We salute you, you little troublemaker.  
>Why we always did say that you needed to loosen up, see the world and live a little.<strong>_

_**_The business is doing great! We've had at least a quarter of the Hogwarts students by already and the coming_ weeks should prove busy.**_

_**We bought you a spitter so no need to send the film anywhere, the camera will spit the picture out after you take it. Instant photos! **__**We bought an album as well, so you can put the pictures somewhere. We'll be expecting a picture for our own album, by the way.**_

_**If you have a chance, do pop in, we won't tell anyone.**_

_**With regards  
><strong>__**Gred and Forge W.W.W**_

Harry loved the camera and spent the next few weeks photographing Rose, the house and the garden. Dobby who popped in regularly took several of Harry and Rose as well.  
>Her album was starting to take shape.<p>

Harry had also framed photos he liked and put them on display all around the house. He'd sent a picture of himself and Rose to the twins with a big thank you for getting him the camera.  
>He'd also asked them to pop in to the apothecary at some point and get the first set of immunisation potions Rose needed.<p>

The muggle book said that she needed vaccinations, which Harry vaguely remembered as needles being poked into your arm.

Harry liked the wizarding books option better, it said that babies of six weeks or older needed to have a small sip of immunisation potion as it would protect them from most magical illnesses.

Before he knew it his birthday had arrived.

He was surprised to find Hedwig perched by his side when he woke, there was a small stack of presents at the end of his bed. He could only guess that she'd collected them from downstairs as she had definitely been in the house when he went to bed the night before.

Harry pulled the first present towards himself and growled. The present had a small note attached with the Gringotts coat of arms.

It read: _**Portkey deactivated**._

Only Dumbledore would send him a Portkey as a present and Harry was unfortunately not going to accept it. He placed it on the side, and pulled the next present towards himself. He tried to not let the first present ruin his birthday. He'd send it back to Dumbledore later.

Mrs Weasley sent him a letter of apology, for sending him the Howler, a small knitted cardigan for Rose to wear and a food hamper. As he must be starved of proper meals, all on his own.

Harry was happy to receive the letter from Mrs Weasley as she was the closest to a mother he had. He wouldn't hand himself over as she asked however, but he was going to send her a picture of himself and Rose he decided, just so that she could see for herself that they were well and happy.

Harry, who found cooking for himself a bit of a bore, eagerly went through the homemade food. He grabbed a sausage roll, which he munched on as he opened the rest of the presents.

Ron sent him a box of Honeyduke's chocolate whilst Hermione got him a book on baby care and a new servicing kit for his broom.

The twins sent him a book too, _The Hapless fathers survival guide,_ which proved to be a real hoot as it was filled with funny childrearing stories from real fathers.  
>And Harry was happy to get the potions for Rose included in the present. He'd calculate when she needed the first later.<p>

Harry and Rose also got surprise company after lunch.

"Dobby has brought Harry Potter a birthday cake." Dobby said after apparating in, he proudly presented his homemade cake.  
>Harry smiled at the surprise, he hadn't expected to receive a cake this year as the basket from Mrs Weasley had been full of food rather than sweet things.<p>

"Look Rose, look at all those candles!" Harry said, holding her up in front of the cake. Rose yawned and tried to turn back into Harry's arms, clearly not impressed at all.  
>"I bet you'll like them when it's your birthday." Harry said holding her close to his chest again, before realising he was thinking way too far ahead of himself. They had a long road to travel still, before she turned one.<p>

"The cake looks great Dobby! Thank you for thinking of it. I'll have to get you to bake the cake for Rose when she turns one." Harry said looking down at the red and gold frosted cake.

"Dobby will be honoured to bake a cake for Harry Potters little Rose." Dobby said, nodding excitedly.  
>Harry got ready to blow out his sixteen candles and smiled as Dobby raised the camera.<p>

Who would have thought he'd be celebrating his sixteenth birthday with a house elf and a sleepy baby, he wondered. Although, who would have thought he'd be the guardian of said baby and about to deflect from Hogwarts in the first place? He blew the candles out and made a quick wish before giving Dobby another big smile in gratitude.

Dobby ended up staying for dinner, entertaining Harry with stories of what he'd seen the students do at the castle, during his employment at Hogwarts. Harry felt a pang of longing at the thought of the castle but pushed it away.

He could get his education on his own. If he could manage to do as well as he had on his O.W.L's with Umbridge around, he could study anywhere. He might have to ask Hermione for a study planner though and actually use it this time.

The school letter and booklist appeared the next morning and Harry went through it curiously. He could after all still buy the books and use them together with the home study pack.

Harry was dismayed to find that he'd been made Quidditch Captain.  
>Why now, when he wasn't going back to the school? He guessed Katie Bell would be chosen when he failed to arrive at Hogwarts. It did sting though, that he'd miss out on playing Quidditch with the team.<p>

Thinking about Quidditch made him wonder if anyone had picked up his broom and trunk from the Dursleys yet and where his stuff was being kept. He wasn't in a hurry to get it back but it would be nice to know that his things were safe. He wouldn't put it past his uncle to burn the lot in a fit of celebration.

Harry decided to have a look at the home schooling pack, which he hadn't opened yet, after breakfast. He wanted to compare the Hogwarts booklist to the books he'd received as part of the home schooling packet.

He pulled out _The handbook of studying at home _from the study shelf and skimmed the first page.

He was supposed to have his adult tutor present at all times when doing the practical work, as the ministry would be notified about any underage magic otherwise.  
>Harry figured he'd be fine as he was allowed to do magic now, he would have to chose a test centre for his June exam by April at the latest.<p>

There was a small flat stone in the handbook which he was supposed to use for all his charms and transfigurations work.  
>It would light up if he got the pronunciation or wand work wrong. If he got the spell right, the stone would become as he'd intended it. It didn't look too hard.<p>

There was also a small dummy which he was supposed to enlarge for target practise when working on his defensive spells.

Harry was unsure whether he should or could do Potions on his own though.  
>He really didn't want to blow the house up, and he wasn't sure if the fumes could be harmful to Rose.<br>He would have to think about it.

Becoming an Auror was beginning to seem like a hopeless dream, not that he felt inclined at the moment to join the ministry anyway.

It was just that he might, in the future when they had a minister he thought he could trust.

This new Scrimgeour guy was a bit of an unknown to Harry thus far, he'd wait and see what effect the man had on the wizarding world.  
>If he proved to be as much of dud as Fudge, Harry figured he could always become a teacher. Teaching the D.A had proved far more pleasurable than Harry had imagined.<p>

Harry could tell, just from the booklet, that the ministry approved course lessons would be slightly less demanding than Hogwarts had been. He would have to work hard if he wanted to keep his standards up.

Perhaps he should ask Hermione to send a copy of her homework assignments for him to do at home, and then he could send them back for her to look at? He'd send her a letter when school started and hopefully she wouldn't mind.

Although knowing Hermione, she would probably prove to be an even harder taskmaster than any of the teachers he'd had so far, Harry thought with a smile. But maybe that was what he needed, if he was to succeed at studying at home.

**_End of chapter_**

_We'll be moving into September soon…  
><em>_Wonder what the world will think if the chosen one doesn't appear on the express. __See you soon. Mina _


	6. Chapter 6

_**Yay, another chapter done! Hope you guys like…Mina**_

**6. The Apparition.**

Harry spent the days after his birthday in a bit of a funk. The thought of not attending Hogwarts, added to the fact that he hadn't seen any of his friends all summer was making him feel depressed.

On top of that Rose had kept him up all night, after getting a fever.

Harry had given her the immunisation potion, which did warn that some babies might get a fever after ingesting the potion. He had been totally unprepared for the terror of a dealing with a sick baby.

Rose had gone to sleep looking rosy and normal and Harry had started to look through his new schoolbooks.

It wasn't until an hour later when he checked on her that he realised that she was unwell. Her cheeks had gone a darker pink and she felt hot when he picked her up.

Harry, who had looked through the baby book on how to care for a feverish baby, just in case, did all it had said to do.

But knowing that she would be alright and feeling alright about her being sick were two very different things.

He barely had any sleep that night as he kept vigil by her cot, making her sip on cold, boiled water every time she woke. The baby book had said that young babies easily became hydrated, which was very bad. He did not want to go to St Mungos as that would bring a swift end to their freedom. Besides, the Prophet hadn't picked up on him disappearing or the fact that he was caring for a child.

By the time morning arrived he was drained of energy.

Rose, he was relieved to find, was absolutely fine. He'd given her a bottle and then sat bent over the table exhausted.

Luckily Rose was happy to shake her rattle and seemed content to drift of into sleep on her own in the basket. He moved to the living room and collapsed onto the small sofa, were he woke when she cried out for a nappy change and a new bottle.

A couple of days later, when he'd managed to catch up on the lost sleep, he felt rather proud that he'd managed to care for her fever so successfully. It was his first time caring for anyone sick, after all.

But then Rose was a very good baby, well Harry thought so anyway.

He was getting a bit worried about how he would realistically be able to study with Rose around. He had started to look through the books he had, and had discovered that he was very easily distracted by her presence. Not because she made a lot of noise or caused trouble, but because _he_ couldn't stop checking to see that she was alright.  
>He was still rather nervous that he'd do something to cause her harm, as he was learning on the job as it were.<p>

The most depressing point of August month was when he sat down to write a letter for his Head of house, Professor McGonagall.

He had thanked her for her support against Umbridge and told her he couldn't accept the role of captain of the Quidditch team. He didn't tell her that he was leaving the school altogether as he hoped to keep that to himself for as long as he could. The Order seemed to be under the impression that he was coming to school with little Rose and Harry thought it might be making them a tiny bit less desperate, as it gave them hope of actually catching him.

Putting the Badge in with the letter had made his stomach clench horribly. He had really wanted to be Captain and thought he would have made a good one. As Hedwig flew off he hoped that whoever made Captain did a good job and that the team wouldn't hate him too much for letting them down again.

Harry had filled pretty much every waking hour of August, reading books and doing the gardening, whenever Rose slept.

There wasn't much else to do when you lived on your own, he found.

He had ordered some of the books from the Hogwarts list and enjoyed comparing the quality of writing, to the home study ones.

The defence book Hogwarts had set, looked rather good and Harry wondered who the Defence teacher was this year. Judging by the book, they were having someone who actually knew what they were doing.

It would be typical if the defence teacher proved to be a nice, non killing one, the year Harry left school he thought.

He was curious to hear what Ron and Hermione made of the new teacher.

The last week of the month seemed to fly by faster than any of the others had. It was probably because Harry really didn't want to get to September first and not be going to the station.

Hermione and Ron had sent a joint letter complaining about him not having been in Diagon Alley when they were there.

It had been a shock they wrote, to see how different the Alley looked compared to the previous times they'd gone shopping. Harry of course knew what they were talking about, having already been there himself.

The description of the twins shop made him itch to go though. Perhaps he'd make a surprise visit when school started and the Alley thinned out on people.

They wrote that they'd had a run in with Malfoy who'd made some comments about Saint Potter not being with the group. Missing out on Malfoy was among the few things Harry really looked forwards too. Not having to see Snape everyday was the second.

On the first of September he dragged himself downstairs for breakfast and spent the rest of the morning glancing at the clock. He imagined Ron and Hermione getting ready to leave the Burrow and then getting on the train. They'd be going to the prefects carriage and might not notice at first that he's missing from the train.

When the clock reached eleven o'clock Harry sighed heavily. The train would have left the station now, taking them all to Hogwarts.

He was now an official school dropout, he thought glanced at Rose, who lay watching him from her basket, in an effort to cheer himself up.

He put his tongue out and blew a raspberry at her and the most amazing thing he'd ever seen happened.

She smiled.

He was sure of it! It had definitely been a smile, the corners of her little mouth had pulled upwards.

Harry blew a second raspberry and watched with wonder as she smiled again.

A warm feeling spread through his body and he smiled back at her in delight. She hadn't smiled at him before now, no matter what he'd done before. Maybe she'd only just learnt it.

"Was that funny, Rose?" He asked, picking her up. She eyed him intently and he blew another one on her stomach.

He laughed at the little giggle she made, and repeated the action again.

Feeling much lighter at heart, he stopped obsessing with the thought of whatever everyone else was doing. And instead tried to make her giggle again.

After lunch he decided that they needed to go for an outing, they'd been coped up in the house for too long and it was driving him mad.

He shrunk Rose's little travel bag before pocketing it and strapped the baby to his chest in the sling. He slipped a thin shirt on to hide Rose from obvious view.

He started out for the floo before changing his mind. If Dobby was free they'd have a smaller risk of being seen, than if he walked through the Alley. And as he'd spelled his hair back to its normal colour, he'd be easier to recognise again.

Dobby, he found, was very happy to take them wherever they wanted to go.

Harry, Rose and Dobby appeared with a small crack into the backroom of Weasleys Wizard Wheezes and Dobby left, saying he and the other elf's were busy preparing for the student arrival. He was of course happy to come and take them home when they were ready, if they needed him to.

Harry looked round the room curiously.

The shelves were lined with products and Harry eyed as a black hooter-thing walked along the edge of one, before disappearing behind some boxes.

The curtain leading into the main part of the shop suddenly opened, revealing a young, blond woman wearing a magenta coloured robe.

She gasped at the sight of someone standing in the room.

"Who are you?" She asked suspiciously.

"I'm a friend of Fred and Georges, are they in?" Harry asked quickly, before she thought to use her wand on him. She'd slowly been pulling it out of her pocket, as if getting ready to defend herself at any moment.

"Mr Weasley! There is someone in the backroom!" She called out, not taking her eyes of Harry.

The curtain was yanked apart again, this time letting one of the twins in. The hard look on his face, brightened instantly at the sight of Harry.

"Harry mate!" He called out loudly, making Harry cringe.

"Let the whole world know, will you!" Harry muttered crossly. He hid behind one of the shelves at the sound of fast approaching steps.

"What was that George? Was there someone back here?" Fred asked, looking between the gaping girl and the blushing George.

"Thank you Verity, would you mind looking after the shop for a moment?" George said, giving the girl a pointed look.

"Sorry, Mr Weasley. I'll be right outside if you need me." She said, looking towards the shelf where Harry stood hidden. George nodded at her and she left through the curtain reluctantly.

"What's going on George?" Fred asked, looking perplexed.

"We've got honoured company." George whispered, smiling crookedly when Harry stepped out into the open again. Freds mouth dropped open and Harry smiled happily. He'd really missed seeing people.

"Harry? Aren't you supposed to be on a train right about now?" Fred asked, glancing at his wristwatch.

"I'm not going back." Harry said calmly. George nudged Fred's shoulder.

"Told you he wasn't going, the Order is going to have fit!" George said excitedly, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.  
>"We haven't seen the grown-ups this worked up since…well ever." He added happily, eyeing Harry fondly. Clearly he and Fred hadn't been worried at all.<p>

"Yes, well done Harry!" Fred said in agreement, having recovered from the shock of seeing the-lost-one in their shop. Harry shook his head at their antics.

"So are the two of you part of the Order yet?" Harry asked curiously, sitting down on one of the many boxes scattered around the room. The twins nodded as one and conjured up a chair each.

"Yeah, joined this summer." George said, shrugging his shoulders.  
>"We mainly keep our ears peeled for gossip and continue with the shop stuff." He added, making it all sound fairly boring.<p>

We've been developing some new items, which are more popular than the joke stuff." Fred said nodding towards the shelves.  
>"We made some serious defence stuff, which is flying of the shelves. The ministry bought five hundred of our shield hats, they protect you from minor curses and jinxes." Fred explained, making Harry nod impressed.<p>

"And we have this Instant Darkness Powder, makes everything go dark, so you can leg it." George added, pointing it out.

A small noise of protest from Rose made Harry stand up so that he could loosen her from the sling. Fred and George both followed his sure handling of Rose with interest.

"So, is this her then? The one who kidnapped Harry Potter?" Fred asked, eyeing Rose fondly. Harry nodded and positioned her so that she was seated leaning against his stomach.

She eyed the twins with big eyes and Harry realised that she'd not really seen anyone since they left the Dursleys. Just Griphook and Dobby.

Fred put his tongue out at her when she looked in his direction and she gave him a small smile.

"Clearly a troublemaker in the making." George said, wagging his finger in front of her face. She tried to follow its movements but he was moving it too fast, making her frown instead. George leaned back in his chair apprehensively when she started pouting and Harry pulled her little bag out of his pocket.

After making a bottle, using a spell he'd learnt from the baby book, he put it to her mouth and watched as she suckled hungrily.

"Hm, guess Hermione owes you an apology. She's been complaining about you not knowing anything about babies and how you might have caused irreparable damage by not caring for her properly." George said, much to Harry's annoyance. He wouldn't have taken Rose if he was that bad at caring for her.

"We tried to tell her that you, out of everyone we know, can do anything you set your mind out to do." Fred said as if it was obvious.  
>"If you can battle a dragon and a giant Basilisk, a baby shouldn't be any trouble." He added, making Harry snort. Comparing Rose to the Basilisk was taking it a step too far.<p>

"What are you going to do though, if you're not going back to Hogwarts?" George asked suddenly.

"I'm trying on home schooling. I got this pack of books and everything." Harry said to their surprise.

"You're going to do school, away from school?" Fred asked, looking slightly horrified.

"That's actually quite brilliant! No teachers to whine about homework not being up to standard." George interjected, looking more interested. Fred nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, I'm thinking about asking Hermione to send over her homework for me to do. I figured she could go over what I've done and then tell me what I need to work harder on." Harry said, making them grimace.

"Really? Why her though? She'll be worse than McGonagall!" Fred said, much to Harry's amusement. He'd thought the same thing after all.

"Which means I'll really be working hard." Harry pointed out. Neither of the twins looked as if they understood the need for involving Hermione.

"Well it's your free time disappearing, I guess." Fred said, shrugging his shoulders.

"So do you want a tour?" George asked excitedly.

"Is it safe? I don't want anyone to see me and Rose." Harry said, making George pop his head out through the curtain, a moment later he looked back in again.

"Looks safe enough, not that many customers at the moment. Most of them disappeared on the express today." George said. Harry stood and cradled the still suckling Rose to his chest protectively.  
>"You could just apparate away again if you need to." George suggested, at Harry's indecisive look.<p>

"I don't know how to apparate." Harry said, making them both stare in surprise at him.

"Then how did you get in here?" Fred asked curiously.  
>"How can you not know how to apparate and be on the run at the same time?" George asked incredulously at the same time.<br>"What he said!" They both said as one next. Harry rolled his eyes at them.

"I'm sixteen, I thought you needed to be seventeen to Apparate." Harry said, making them both grin.

"Harry, Harry, Harry. A boy like yourself, following ministry rules?" Fred chided, eyeing George who gave his twin a small nod.  
>"It shouldn't be that hard for someone like you, I mean you learnt a Patronus in your third year!" Fred exclaimed, making Harry squirm.<p>

"I have no idea how you apparate. I figured I'd learn it with the rest when the time came." Harry said, feeling slightly cross at himself for never having thought to learn it before.

"We'll give you the book Charlie gave us and if you have any problems just come back and ask for help." George said putting his arm around Harry's shoulder.  
>"Now, let me introduce to you, Weasleys Wizard Wheezes!" George said grandly, pulling the curtain open.<p>

Harry looked around the shop in wonder. He spotted the Skiving Snackboxes they'd worked so hard on last year and the fake wands. He walked around impressed with what they'd achieved in such a short time. It wasn't that long since they left Hogwarts and Umbridge behind, after all.

"Well, what do you think? The bestsellers out here are our Snackboxes and the Wonderwitch products." George said proudly after giving Harry enough time to appreciate the shop.

"It great!" Harry said with feeling. George smiled brightly at him, clearly happy with the praise.

"We know." He said humbly. Fred who'd walked of to chat to the blond girl from before, came back looking pleased with the look of awe on Harrys face.

"Like it I take it, Harry boy?" Fred asked, making Harry nod. Harry accepted the book on Apparition Fred handed to him and quickly pocketed it.

"It's great!" Harry said about the shop again. George started steering him back to the other room. Some of the other customers were starting to give Harry curious looks.

"Look Harry, we couldn't have done any of this without you. If you need anything, anything at all, just let us know." George said, seriously once they'd entered the backroom again. Fred nodded in agreement next to his twin.

"I'm fine, really!" Harry said, feeling touched.  
>"Well, if you know of anyone trustworthy wanting a babysitting job, you could always send me their resume." Harry said jokingly, eying the now sleeping Rose fondly.<p>

"Yes, well count me out! I'm not really ready for kids and all that!" George said backing away from him, as if worried Harry would hand the baby over there and then.

Fred gave him a thoughtful look however.  
>"Give me a couple of days and I'll see what I can do." He said seriously.<p>

"Er, I was joking. I'm not sure I'd trust just anyone to look after Rose and we're under the Fidelius anyway. I'd have to reveal the location which I'm not too keen to do." Harry said, worried when Fred just shrugged unfazed.

Harry called for Dobby, who waved at the gaping twins brightly, before apparating them back to the cottage.

He'd really needed some socialising. Maybe he should try and see the twins more regularly, as he couldn't meet up with Ron and Hermione as easily. Breaking into Hogwarts would push his luck a bit too far.

Sitting down with the book on Apparition that evening felt really nice. He obviously needed to talk to people more often as he'd not noticed how down he'd felt before.

Harry decided that if he was going to attempt Apparating, he'd do it with someone present. He didn't relish the thought of splinching himself, which the book warned about, and leaving Rose to fend for herself. He'd be left suffering until Dobby found him as nobody else knew where they lived.

Maybe he should tell the twins, so that someone else knew where he was. He would have to mention about Dumbledore and Snape knowing Occlumency, just so the twins knew not to think about him or the cottage near them.

If the twins knew where he lived, they could come over for visits stopping him from going stir crazy, he thought. The idea was definitely growing on him. They wouldn't tell anyone where he was anyway, they would be far too pleased to help him hide from the Order.

He'd make sure to visit again shortly and this time, give them a tour of his place, Harry thought happily. He got Rose from her basket and slowly climbed the stairs, feeling happy with how the day had ended.

Maybe everything would be alright, even though he was at home rather than at Hogwarts. If he had the twins to visit he'd stay sane and who knew, maybe they could help teach him a thing or two.

Harry fell asleep with a smile on his face, feeling much more hopeful and content than he'd done waking up.

The next mornings Prophet made him cough up his tea. He read the article in disbelief, where did the paper get it all from?

**CHOSEN ONE NOT AT HOGWARTS**

**Has the Chosen one been sent for special training?**

_**Harry Potter, the boy who lived, failed to return to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry for his sixth year yesterday, in a move that has shocked the general public. **_

_**Headmaster Dumbledore refused to give any comments this morning, to either deny or confirm rumours that Harry Potter has been offered special training to help him in the fight against You-Know-Who.**_

_**This reporter certainly thinks it's about time that Mr Potter received some additional tutoring, although the Prophet has it on good authority that Mr Potter received an O for his Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L's.**_

_**We wish Harry Potter the best of luck with his training and hope that he soon returns.**_

_**More on Harry Potter's years at Hogwarts on page 2  
><strong>__**Possible locations for Mr Potters training on page 4**_

Oh well, It could have been worse, they could have printed the truth, he thought.

How had they gotten word about his grades, he wondered. He didn't really feel like letting the world know about how he did academically.

So now the pressure really was on to keep his grades up. Harry sighed and looked towards the fireplace when three letters came shooting out.

The first letter was from Hermione and Ron, neither of which seemed to be overly happy with him for having missed the train.  
><em><strong>You won't get anywhere without an education, Harry!<strong>_ Hermione had written in bold text on the parchment. Ron had bemoaned the fact that the new Defence teacher was no one other than Snape!

The second was from Dumbledore, who incidentally wasn't that happy with him either.  
>He alternated between threats if Harry didn't come back immediately and promises of special training should Harry be reasonable and return. Harry couldn't help but snigger at the letter, it sure felt good to know he'd pulled a fast one on the Headmaster.<p>

He was not going back and the Headmaster could threaten away, as he wouldn't find Harry anyway.

The third was from the twins, congratulating him on getting his new training program started and wondering if they could join the classes.  
>Harry thought it might be beneficial to have some training company and would certainly make sure to tell them that he was up for it, if they were. A little mini D.A just for the three of them, he thought.<p>

He wrote a reply to Hermione and Ron first, explaining what he was going to do and how Hermione could make sure that he did get qualifications. He sent his deepest condolences to Ron and felt very happy indeed to miss Snape butchering his favourite subject.

To Dumbledore he simply sent a short note saying he wasn't coming back and that if the man wanted him to learn something, he could send Harry a correspondence course.

The twins got an invitation to The Cottage, but Harry didn't say when he'd appear to get them as the letter might be intercepted. He mentioned being interested in having them over for a spot of mutual exchange of knowledge, if they really were interested.

Hedwig was happy to deliver the letters and soon flew away, with orders to deliver the letter for the twins first and not let anyone take the others. It wouldn't do after all for the Prophet to get knowledge of Harry having left school against the Headmasters wishes. Hedwig had looked highly affronted at the mere possibility of anyone getting the chance to remove anything from her body, without her permission.

**_End of chapter.  
><em>_So what do you think? I love the twins, they can cheer anyone up, well, maybe not Percy…Mina_**


	7. Chapter 7

**_Thank you for all the encouraging reviews, I love them! Hope you enjoy. Mina_**

**7. The Nanny**

It was a week since school had started for the Hogwarts students and Harry too had started to look at the course work he was supposed to follow at home.  
>Trying to determine how many different transfiguration spells he knew, at the same time as feeding Rose was turning out to be a bit harder than he'd thought.<p>

A whole week had passed since he visited the twins last and he'd sent them a note, the night before to expect company this morning. It wouldn't be him visiting though.

He'd been watching the clock all morning, waiting for the knock that now sounded at the door, to come. He walked towards the front door carrying Rose and opened it for their first real guests.

"Harry mate! What a lovely house!" George gushed in an overly impressed tone. Fred just shrugged, handed Harry some daisies and looked around calmly.

Harry waved at Dobby, who couldn't stay.  
>He had realised that he could ask Dobby to tell the twins where the cottage was as he was the Secret Keeper. Dobby was happy to help and had been round for his own visit on the Friday, but Sundays were busy as the students were off from lessons and he hadn't wanted to stay away from work so soon again.<p>

"You need to do something about the garden though, it's too big to be without a Quidditch pitch." Fred said, grinning.  
>"So this is it? The training headquarters for the famous Harry Potter." He added stepping in through the door.<p>

"This is it, welcome to our home." Harry said, grinning back widely at them whilst Rose stared at them intently.

"Well hello there, madam." Fred said bowing gallantly, before shaking her foot. She gave him a smile in return for his efforts.

George made a loud squealing noise and stuck his tongue out at her, making her frown in fright at the noise.  
>"Why does she keep frowning at me?" He asked, looking bewildered.<p>

"Must be your fat, ugly face." Fred said thoughtfully, making George glare at his twin.

Harry hoisted Rose up on his shoulder and led them towards the kitchen, where he'd prepared lunch.

"Do you guys want a butterbeer?" He asked, as they walked past the living room.  
>He had made sure to order in a floo shop full of goodies for his first human guests. The twins both nodded in affirmation, looking around curiously.<p>

"You should send a copy of this one to mum!" George said, looking at one of the photos hanging on the wall. Dobby had snapped Harry and Rose outside on a blanket, practising push-ups in the garden. Rose was getting stronger all the time, Harry was proud to say.

"Yes, she loves the one from your birthday. Keeps it with her all the time." Fred agreed after glancing at the picture George was indicating.  
>"It's a real nice place, mate." Fred said looking around appreciatively.<p>

"Bit too isolated for my taste, but then I don't have Dark Lords and Dumbledores looking for me." George interjected. Fred snorted at his brothers wit and sat down at the table where Harry had laid out a feast.

"Nice spread!" Fred said approvingly, helping himself to the potato crisps.

Harry grinned and enjoyed the novelty of having company.  
>Fred and George could eat just as much as Ron, Harry found out as they dined.<br>He laughed at their comments on the strange customers they sometimes had and enjoyed hearing how the Order were resigning themselves to not finding Harry.

"Moody is right proud of you, says that if you can hide from him and the Headmaster you must know what you're doing. He thinks we should leave you be and concentrate on finding Deatheaters and the like." Fred said in between bites of barbecued chicken and roast potatoes.

"Mm, Mum wants you to come back though. Says you're far too young to be living with a baby on your own." George said in a good imitation of his mothers scolding voice. Fred snorted up his drink and Harry had to put the sleeping Rose down into her basket as he was shaking with laughter.

"I think she just wants some distraction from having Fleur in the house." Fred said as soon as the laughter settled down.

Harry eyed him surprised.  
>"Fleur Delacour?" He asked, wondering what the Beauxbatons champion was doing at the Burrow. Fred and George eyed him equally surprised.<p>

"You mean you haven't heard?" Fred asked. Harry shook his head.

"So, Ron decided to not share that titbit eh?" George said with an evil grin.  
>"Prat has been falling all over his feet in order to impress her this summer." He added with a smirk.<p>

"Bill asked her to marry him and she said yes." Fred finally revealed, making Harrys brows rise high.

"I still say he befuddled her." George interjected seriously.

"Where on earth did they meet?" Harry asked curiously, last he'd heard she was going back to France.

"Oh, she works part-time at Gringotts now, has been for the better part of a year. Bill thought it would be a good idea to bring her home to meet the family." George answered, grinning at the last bit.

Harry frowned at his tone.  
>"What's wrong with bringing her to the Burrow?" He asked confused.<p>

"Mum's worried they're moving too fast and Fleur is all pretty and girly. Mum hates her and so does Ginny." Fred said cheerfully, making Harry even more confused. Why would Fleur being pretty and girly be a reason to hate her?

"Ok." Harry said, shaking his head in bemusement, he'd never understand girls.

"They've been looking for a place to stay though, so they might have left the house already." George said thoughtfully.

They relocated into the study where Harry showed them his school stuff. Fred offered to help with any potions queries he had as that was one of the subjects he'd actually passed with an Exceeds Expectations.

George then offered to help with Transfiguration, as he had received an E as well for his hard work. Harry wondered if they'd decided who was getting an O.W.L in what subject and then ignored the others.

Whilst George stood paging through one of Harrys books, Fred leaned against the desk eyeing Harry thoughtfully.

"Remember how you asked if we knew anyone looking for a babysitting job?" He asked Harry, who eyed him with a sinking feeling. He really hoped Fred hadn't told some stranger where the cottage was.  
>"Well, I do happen to know someone, Angelina had to quit her job working as a Quidditch support player." Fred said casually.<p>

"Fred and Angel…oomph." Georges chant was interrupted by a stunner from Fred.

"As I was saying, Angelina is looking for a small job and she has looked after her cousins baby lots. I didn't tell her it was you looking for help of course!" He said, correctly interpreting Harrys worried look.

"I'm not sure Fred." Harry said uncertainly. He glanced down at Rose who'd woken up and was playing with her foot contently.  
>He did need to get on with his schoolwork, if he was to have any chance of getting ready to do his N.E.W.T's at the same time as his friends.<br>And he really did want to get a degree, if only because he'd need to find a job at some point, if he was to support himself and Rose.

"She wouldn't tell anyone about you or Rose, you know you can trust her!" Fred hurried to say.  
>Harry did feel like he could trust her, they'd been playing Quidditch for years together and she'd joined the D.A the previous year.<p>

"Ok, she can come for a trial, but if it doesn't work she'll have to swear on her magic not to reveal where I live!" Harry said, stressing the last.

"I'll Obliviate her myself if I need to." Fred promised.

Harry was slightly worried that Fred knew how to use a memory charm, but nodded in reluctant approval. If that was what it took to keep them safe, then he wouldn't say no to removing her memory. Fred looked pleased and turned to gloat at his brother, only to remember that he'd stunned him.

"Sorry George, old chap." He said sheepishly, cancelling the spell. George glared at him and looked ready to retaliate but was interrupted by Rose, who decided she had investigated her own feet long enough, she wanted up.

The twins left with the promise of coming over again soon and Fred promised to bring Angelina over in two days time.

Harry was rather nervous about seeing the tall girl again but hoped it would work out for the best.

During the two days before Angelina's imminent arrival, Harry kept himself busy with setting up a study schedule for himself.  
>The home study manual said that working in one-hour per subject was a good study format. And that he should have small breaks in between each hour.<p>

He had decided to study Defence, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbiology and Potions. He figured that if he managed to actually get five N.E.W.T's, he at least had the option of trying out for Auror training, if he still wanted to in the future.

Professor McGonagall had responded to his letter as well, which Harry had opened expecting sharp words.

_**Dear Harry**_

_**I must say that it came as quite a shock, not only to have the Quidditch badge back but to have you leaving school altogether. I am rather curious to how you are planning on reaching your ambition on becoming an Auror without N.E.W.T's and caring for a small baby, if the Headmaster is to be believed?**_

_**I do wish you had stayed on, but understand your reluctance to leaving a small baby with your relatives. **__**Worse family to leave a magical child with, if ever I saw one. **__**Told Albus so myself the night he left you on their doorstep. **_

_**If you are ever in the need of help or advice, do feel welcome to contact me as I never stop looking after my lions.**_

_**I believe I managed to lose the badge and have had to give young Katie Bell a replacement. **_

_**I shall miss seeing you on your broom and wish you all the best for the future.  
><strong>__**Minerva McGonagall, Gryffindor Head of House  
><strong>_

Harry had almost been brought to tears at finding the Gryffindor Captain badge in the bottom of the envelope. He had placed it on a shelf in the study, next to one of the first pictures he'd taken of Rose.

Ron and Hermione had written back as well, complaining about Snape taking every moment of their class to make small digs at Harry, who wasn't there to defend himself.  
>Ron had received a detention for talking back in class and was now living in terror of what he would be subjected to.<br>Hermione had written that Snape did seem to know what he was teaching, in all honesty.  
>Harry had sighed contently, happy he didn't have to suffer under the man anymore.<p>

Both of them said that the Potions lessons were far better lessons now that they had a new teacher, a former Slytherin student, called Slughorn.

Slughorn, Hermione wrote, had been heartbroken at not having the chance to teach Harry in his class.

Ron was only bemoaning the fact that he had to have a second hand book from the potions cupboard, as he'd not been aware that he could take the subject. He wrote that someone had scribbled all over the pages, making it hard to follow the directions correctly.  
>Harry figured Ron could have the Potions book he'd bought to compare with the home study one and sent it off with a letter back.<p>

He wrote to Hermione, that he'd managed to find some tutors to help him with his studying if he got stuck and that she didn't have to worry about him.

Dumbledore had written back as well. He'd written that the things he wanted Harry to learn were far too important to send in letters. He also wrote that he was rather proud of the fact that Harry was so successful at keeping hidden.  
>He wrote that he'd decided to let the rest of the world believe what the prophet wrote, as it was a rather good excuse.<br>He also apologised for his earlier tone in the previous letters and hoped that Harry would forgive him.

Harry was rather suspicious of this sudden change of heart and wondered if it was a new tactic to try and catch him. Well he wasn't coming out from hiding until he knew for certain that Dumbledore wouldn't try and take Rose from him.  
>Besides, he was getting used to being a stay at home dad. And he was excited to try and prove that he could do both the daddy and the study part, just fine without any of the adults helping.<p>

Harry and Rose were waiting by the front door for Fred and Angelina to finish the walk up the pathway. Fred had apparated himself and his girlfriend to the edge of the garden, now knowing where Harry lived.

"But…I thought it was your…Harry?" Angelina stared at him gob smacked and Harry smiled at her feeling more at ease now that she was here.

"Hi Angelina, how have you been?" He said, letting them in. Fred chuckled at her confusion but went quiet at the glare she gave him.

"I can't believe you lied to me!" She snapped at him before turning on Harry.  
>"And when did you get a baby and aren't you supposed to be getting special training?" She demanded forcefully.<p>

"She was born on the fifteenth of June and I'm teaching myself." Harry answered making her stare.

"He needs someone to look after the cutie whilst he studies, Angelina." Fred said, making her huff at him.  
>"I told him that you were on the lookout for a job and it just seemed perfect." He added giving her a pleading look. She eyed Harry again and then gave Rose her attention.<p>

"When my cousin had her baby last summer I helped out loads, so I know what to do. Is she ok with strangers?" Angelina said, letting Rose grab a hold of her fingers. Rose gave her a smile and Angelina chuckled.  
>"Guess she is." She said happily.<p>

Harry too felt relieved. She seemed to be fine with the people they had met so far, well George was the exception so far, as he had managed to make her wary of him.

"Harry I was wondering if I could connect the floo to out flat, make it easier to get here without anyone tagging along?" Fred asked.  
>Harry squirmed uncomfortably, the house was becoming more and more exposed.<p>

"You can always lock the floo at night or when you don't want people to come through." He added making Harry eye him stupidly.  
>He really needed to read the chapter about the floo in the Homeowners manual. He nodded at Fred, who bent down and did some fancy spell work which resulted in him flooing to the Weasley boys flat, with a wave.<p>

"So do you want me to try caring for her today?" Angelina asked, nodding at Rose who was drooling as a result of trying to eat her own hand. Harry nodded slowly and reluctantly handed Rose over.

He showed her where the formula was and led her upstairs to Roses room where the changing table was. Angelina had gushed at how cute the baby's room was before asking where she slept.  
>Harry had blushed at the look she'd given him when he revealed that Rose slept in his room. Not that he understood what was so amazing about that.<br>He'd then told her that Rose usually slept in her basket during the day, just so he could keep an eye on her.

Angelina seemed to be a confident baby handler and Rose was happy being in her arms, which made it easier to leave them in the nursery looking at toys.

He walked to the study half an hour later, after they had chatted about schedules, money and how to best care for Rose. He'd made a sandwich for himself in the kitchen for lunch, so that he didn't have to leave the study once he got going with the work.  
>Angelina had assured him she was very capable of rooting in his cupboards for something to eat when she got hungry. She told him to leave so that she and Rose could have some girly time.<p>

It felt somewhat strange to have abandoned Rose in someone else's care and he wasn't sure he'd be able to concentrate on the work after all.

He was reading from the Hogwarts book about the characteristics of an Inferi, when Roses cry pierced the silence. He steeled himself from getting up as Angelina had insisted that she knew what she was doing. She'd seemed confident enough when he'd left them an hour earlier.

Five minutes later Harry got up to investigate why Rose still cried, maybe something had happened. As he got closer to the kitchen, the baby's cries got more heart wrenching.

He rushed in through the doorway and spotted Angelina juggling Rose, her wand and an empty baby bottle.

The tub of formula stood open and it looked like she had spilled a couple of scoops of powder, onto the counter. Rose had gone red faced and cried loudly with her bottom lip trembling miserably. She was clearly not happy at all with the level of service provided.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Harry demanded, relieving a surprised Angelina of Rose.

"She's fine! I just couldn't get the formula out of the bottle and then I remembered that you use the muggle kind." Angelina said, looking downhearted at having him come in to the room.  
>"My cousin uses <em>Mrs Coons refilling baby bottles<em>, they just need the water added to the bottle. You can go up again, I'll sort her out." She added ruefully, watching as Harry checked Rose over.

"I bought all the tubs of muggle formula before I knew there were magic baby bottles." Harry said, fixing up a bottle expertly.

"I can do that!" Angelina said, reaching out for Rose and the prepared bottle. Harry didn't see her attempts at getting the baby back as he stood gazing down at Rose adoringly.

The little girl was suckling down the formula greedily, whilst Harry tidied away the tub and the mess on the counter, before clearing up the toys from the floor.  
>He gave Rose a soft kiss on her dark curls and turned to find Angelina seated by the table, staring at him with an unreadable look on her face.<p>

"What?" He asked, making her grin wickedly at him. She stood from the table slowly and moved closer to him.

"You're really good at this Harry." She said softly.  
>"It's really sweet to see a guy handling a baby as confidently as you are, hot even." She added coyly, reaching out to touch Rose but somehow ending up stroking his arm instead. Harry gulped.<br>"I wish more guys were like you." She said moving even closer. Harry cleared his throat nervously.

"Er…I should probably…er…get back to my book…yes, here." Harry mumbled, suddenly rather hot under the collar.

Angelina accepted Rose back with a victorious smile and watched as Harry escaped back to the safety of the study.

Was she flirting with him, Harry wondered? He hoped Fred didn't find out.

The next time Rose cried, he didn't leave the study. He opened the door slightly and heard Angelina humming a Weird Sisters tune, which seemed to quieten Rose down again.

He managed to go back to focusing on the Home schools sixth year paper of Charms, he had to tic all the ones he felt confident on and later try them out on the little test stone. He'd done rather well so far on the papers he'd done today. Defence had been a breeze and he'd totted up a long list of spells.

He startled at a sudden knock on the door a little while later.  
>Angelina entered the room with a wide-awake Rose on her arm.<p>

"Sorry Harry, but it's five o'clock and I promised to be back home in time for tea tonight. My parents are really scared about me leaving the house, since you-know-who got back." Angelina said sounding sorry for interrupting him.

Harry looked up at the clock on the wall surprised. Where had the time gone, he wondered.  
>"Sorry Angelina! I didn't realise that it had gotten so late." Harry said, standing up from the cluttered desk. He held his arms out for Rose, who gave him a big smile as way of greeting.<p>

"Was it ok?" He asked, hoping Angelina would consider coming back again.

"Oh, Yes! She's so cute and really easy to look after." She gushed, smiling at the baby.  
>"What time do you want me to come tomorrow?" She added, much to Harrys immediate relief.<p>

"Thank you so much! If you could come for after ten again, I really seemed to make some progress today?" Harry said, looking down at the desk which held several started essays. The one-an-hour subject approach worked well for him.

Angelina nodded looking very pleased.  
>"Great! My mum's been badgering me to find a new quieter job. I had to quit the other one as she says it's too risky to work in busy places now, with the risk of being attacked." Angelina said.<p>

"Will you make sure not to mention where you work though, and please don't tell anyone that I'm the parent!" Harry pleaded.

"I told them I was going for a babysitter interview at one of Freds relatives. I'll just say I got the job, they won't have to know that you are the relative." Angelina said casually. Harry grinned at her candour.

"Thanks, I really appreciate you helping out. I'll make sure Gringotts transfers the money we agreed on for this week." Harry said, making her smile again.

"Great, I've been living on air for the past week. My mum won't give me money for non-essential things as I'm now able to earn my own." She said, rolling her eyes.  
>"But she forgets that she ordered me to quit my job." She added pointedly. Harry laughed at her tone, as he and Rose walked her to the kitchen where she grabbed her bag and slipped on her cardigan.<p>

"Bye then Rosie. See you tomorrow!" She said, waving at Rose who ignored her in favour of staring at Harry.  
>"Bye Harry." She said, flashing another white smile.<p>

"Bye Angelina, thank you!" Harry said, watching her disappear in a flash of green fire, headed to Fred and Georges flat.

That had gone so much better than he had imagined it would.

"So what do you want to do now then Rose? Do you want to have a bath? Maybe some bubbles?" Harry said, smiling when she babbled back at him.

"Bubbles it is!" He said before blowing a raspberry on her tummy. Rose gave a small squeal of laughter, which still managed to make Harry go all soft inside.

He glanced into the study and sighed at the state of the desk. He'd clear it up as soon as Rose had gone to sleep that evening, he vowed. But he wanted to spend some time with her before that.

Half an hour later he carried the pyjama clad Rose downstairs and opened the cooling cupboard for something to eat. He had been reminded by his stomachs loud rumblings, that he'd not had dinner yet.

The floo activating behind him, had him pointing his wand at a very surprised looking Fred.  
>"Damn it Fred!" Harry scolded, making both Rose and Fred blink at his tone.<p>

"Sorry Harry, guess I should have warned you before coming." Fred said, somewhat sheepishly. Harry lowered the wand slowly after taking a deep breath. His deepest fear after revealing the cottage to the twins and Angelina was that someone else would find out and come after them.

"It's fine." Harry said, somewhat calmer. He was definitely locking the floo network down before going to bed tonight, he decided.

"Hiya, mate!" George said, appearing through the fire, he enlarged Harrys trunk which he'd brought with him.

"Oh, where did you get that from?" Harry asked surprised.

"Nicked it from the Headquarter. Dumbledore had it under a charm to prevent Kreacher from removing it in case you gave the order, but it didn't stop me!" George said cheerfully.

"Thanks, now I can add all the old books to my shelves, I wanted to have them as reference books on what I've learnt so far." Harry said happily, missing the look of pain on Georges face.

"Yes, well I thought you might want to have your broomstick back. Especially as you have that big garden outside." George said.

Harry who hadn't flown for months felt a pang of longing hit him.  
>"Oh, will you hold her for a while so I can give it a go?" Harry asked, making George shake his head at the offered Rose.<p>

"No way, she doesn't like me. See, she's already scrunching up her face at me!" George said pointing at Rose, who indeed was frowning at him.

Fred chuckled at his twin and held out his arms for the baby.  
>"She just knows that I'm the better twin! Don't you Rose, my dear?" Fred gushed at the now smiling baby. George frowned, eyeing them crossly.<p>

"Yes, well I guess you can marry her instead of Angelina then!" George said, snidely. Harry snorted as he made his way towards the garden holding his broom.

"Hey, I can't help it if the girls like me better!" Fred said winking at Rose, who blew a raspberry at him.

George scowled at them and stalked after Harry. Clearly having Rose like Fred more was becoming something of a sore point.

_**End of chapter.**_

_**Yay, another one done! I don't know why this story is so much easier to write than my other ones…  
><strong>__**Poor George, the baby doesn't like him. : ) Mina**_


	8. Chapter 8

_He he...here is another chapter. Blushing furiously as I got distracted by some other authors on the site…there are some really good stories out there you know! Oh well, thank you so much to everyone who has sent reviews, I do love them and you: ) Mina_

**Snape the Ape**

September month seemed to have passed by in a flash and October was steadily working its way towards November.

Harry and Rose had gotten used to sharing their home for a few hours a week, with Angelina, who now came regularly between ten and two every weekday. Harry felt it gave him enough time for a good study and life balance.

Fred, who had taken on the role of potions teacher every Wednesday, proved to be a force to be reckoned with. Harry was surprised at just how good Fred was at brewing. But figured he really shouldn't be, not with the products the twins had on offer in their shop.

It would seem Fred was taking Harry's future N.E.W.T's grade as a chance to prove he was just as good, if not better at teaching potions than Snape. Harry sensed that he wasn't the only one who was picked on by Snape. He had tried to point out that anyone was better than Snape, but Fred was dreaming of showing Snape, Harry's future O grade in Potions.

Harry wasn't as confident of his future grade but was happier to brew potions than he'd ever been before. Fred never sneered at him or told him what a dunderhead he was, he tended to congratulate Harry for every ruined potion instead.

Fred's only rule for Harry to follow during lesson time was, waste not-want not. Harry was forbidden from vanishing any potions no matter how foul they turned out, as they might have a brilliant reaction which could be used for future joke items. Fred and George really were geniuses, Harry had decided.

Harry, in turn for the twins and Angelina's help, tutored them in defence which had the benefit of him learning all kinds of new curses and hexes as he tried to make work on lots of varied spells.

George had taken to calling it the P.A, for Potter's Army, which Fred said was a great name as everyone around them thought they were talking about a new Personal Assistant for the shop.

Harry didn't really see the need for a name at all but the others had voted his opinion on the matter as unimportant.

The P.A met regularly on a Friday after lunch and was evolving into a stay for dinner afterwards tradition, which they all liked. Occasionally Fred and George were needed for a sudden Order meeting which couldn't be avoided.

Harry felt rather pleased with how well informed he was this year on what the Order was up to. The twins had no problems sharing what the meetings were about with him.

Hermione had written back, congratulating him on getting tutors to help keep him on track, so that he could take his N.E.W.T's at the same time as everyone else. Harry wasn't sure she'd be as congratulatory if she knew who his teachers were, so he decided to simply omit mentioning any names.

Harry was delighted to hear that most of the D.A members had qualified for the Defence class, from the equally proud Hermione.

Ron continued to moan about Defence Against the Dark arts, having been ruined by Snape the Ape. He even went as far as saying he'd possibly have Lockhart back again, instead of Snape.

Hermione pointed out that the professor, although unfair and biased, did seem to know the subject well. Ron was not so generous in his comments however.

It turned out that Ron had spent seven nights in detention with Snape already this year.

The first of which, he'd been subjected to having Snape bad mouth Harry and interrogating him on Harry's possible whereabouts. Ron had told Snape to mind his own damn business and had thus received another detention with pretty much the same outcome as the first.

Hermione had taken to pinching Ron in class to stop him from answering back as the defence class was where most of the Gryffindor's lost house points now. Neville and Dean had both earned a detention each for mouthing back at the teacher as well but Ron was unfortunately the biggest points looser of them all.

If he'd just keep a lid on during class, he would be fine, Hermione wrote despairingly.

Harry didn't think it had anything to do with Ron at all, Snape was just angry to miss out on torturing him, Harry, and was simply taking out his frustration on poor Ron.

Harry wrote back and told them about how it was to be a home student and bragged that little Rose was growing fast. He told them that she already knew how to roll over which he was part proud of and part terrified by.

He didn't leave her anywhere unsupervised anymore as she might roll away from sight and be lost forever. He'd also had to abandon his lifesaving carry basket as she'd almost learnt how to escape from it.

Her greatest achievement so far was that she could talk! Well, Harry was positive she could say _da_, which had to be short for daddy.

Fred had tried to convince him that she said it all the time, especially when her hand was in her mouth and that it sounded more like _bah_ than da.

Harry figured that he was the expert from the group when it came to babies, so he was right and they were wrong.

Fred had wisely stopped arguing and conceded defeat as Harry had seemed overly eager to duel him later on during their P.A meeting.

George who had bought a baby book, in order to learn more about how to keep in their good graces, was delighted at the progress he was making with Rose.

She no longer frowned when he entered the room and she hadn't burst into tears when he had held her stiffly as Harry made her a bottle. He had been relieved to hand her back though as she'd been eyeing him suspiciously.

Harry tried to point out that she just sensed him being tense but George had scoffed at the idea of her having that sort of mental skill already. She was only a baby after all.

Rose had also learnt how to sit somewhat, well really it was sitting and falling with grace. She tended to fall in any direction if not supported by a mountain of pillows, Harry wasn't all that happy to have her sitting without anyone seated behind her, just in case.

He'd also been forced to go on a shopping trip to the baby shop again, as all Rose's clothes had become too small.

The trip had been Harry's first time without a baby as he'd left Rose with Angelina in the house. By the end of the short hour he'd been out, he'd nearly been in tears, thoughts of all sorts of accidents, attacks and illnesses had brought him back home fast.

Harry was happy to find that Rose who'd been sleeping the entire time he'd been gone, had been just fine.

He had hidden his embarrassment at having panicked by showing off all the outfits he'd bought to a bewildered Angelina, who'd thought he would take a lot longer.

Harry had made sure to buy clothes several sizes too big this time as he had learnt that it was easier to shrink clothes than enlarge.

Harry couldn't believe she was nearing five months old already, by Christmas she'd be halfway to a year old which terrified him. Where did the time go he wondered in amazement?

In the middle of October Harry had turned hardened criminal and asked Dobby to be his accomplice.

Dobby had been delighted to be of any assistance and so it was on a Saturday morning that he welcomed the kidnapped Ron and Hermione into his house.

The pair, who had been kidnapped from Hogsmead as it was a trip weekend, had followed Dobby up the garden path looking around curiously. Harry had opened the door with a grin and led them into the house after being half squeezed to death by a wet Hermione.

It was raining in Scotland it seemed, Harry looked at the cloud covered sky outside. Nothing here yet, but might still come he guessed.

Hermione berated him on his actions so far this year, all the way into the kitchen where she suddenly froze at the sight of Rose, who was seated on a highchair whacking little building blocks onto the table. The baby smiled widely at the sight of Harry.

"Dadadada." She greeted, making Harry swell with pride.

"This is uncle Ron and aunty Hermione, Rose." Harry said, picking her up from her chair. She eyed them curiously before turning her head into Harry's collar which she had decided tasted good enough to eat.

Poor Rose was starting to cut her first tooth, which had kept them both up at night until Harry learnt a nifty little spell that numbed the inflamed area and left Rose pain free. But she was at the moment chewing on everything from her own feet to anything else in her reach.

"Er, did she just say daddy?" Ron asked perplexed. Harry smiled brightly glad someone else could hear it.

"Yes she did, I told the twins that she was speaking but they didn't believe me." Harry said shaking his head in exasperation, he knew he'd been right. He turned and eyed the still silent Hermione who stood staring at him and the baby.

"You ok Hermione?" Harry asked finally.

"Oh, she's so cute! She's four months now right? I've been reading a baby book that details the different milestones of a baby's development, is she reaching them alright?" Hermione babbled, pulling out a thick book from her purse. Ron rolled his eyes at the sight, obviously used to her pulling it out.

Harry wondered if he was about to be tested on his baby caring skills now, she'd probably made up a written part and a practical one if he knew her right.

"Oh can we please not have a baby know-how class right now? She looks alright, Harry is obviously doing whatever he's doing right!" Ron exclaimed gesturing at the content baby in Harry's arms.

Hermione bristled, clearly not liking his tone of voice.

"Alright! That is not good enough! A baby needs a good balance of proper care, emotional support and…" She trailed off as Harry left the room.

Ron gave her a triumphant look as if to say, _told you so_, before following suit.

Hermione followed a moment later looking unsure of herself, she found them in the study where Harry showed her all his baby books somewhat vindictively. He hadn't forgotten what the twins had said about her fearing for Rose's safety whilst in his care.

"Sorry Harry. I didn't mean that I thought you weren't caring for her properly. I just…we missed you and reading the baby books meant that I could help you if you had any questions. Not that you ever did." Hermione said softly, looking close to tears.

"I'm fine, she's fine and I bought loads of baby books as you can see. Rose is such a good little baby anyway, no trouble at all." Harry said gently, he knew that Hermione meant well and he didn't want to hurt her feelings but he did know what he was doing in regards to Rose.

"So tell me, is Snape as bad as you make him out to be?" Harry asked, changing the subject and bringing out a loud moan from Ron.

They relocated into the living room where Harry was told in great detail what he'd been missing whilst away from Hogwarts. They talked about how horrible Snape was, the increased security around the castle and the fact that Dumbledore seemed to be nursing a very badly injured arm.

Ron informed him that the only good thing so far this year, was the fact that Malfoy had deflated now that his father was in Azkaban. He pretty much left everyone alone, even to the point of not mentioning Harry too much. There had been a few comment about, how the chosen one had run away out of fear and such but not as much as they had anticipated.

It was like the good old days when they bemoaned the world in general, only with a small baby snagging the attention every now and then. Hermione tried unsuccessfully to steer them onto the subject of baby maintenance again but clearly didn't dare to push too far. She kept her book on her lap though, just in case. After a long lunch and a nap for Rose, the twins made a surprise visit much to everyone's delight.

"How's uncle Fred's little girl then?" Fred cooed as soon as he spotted Rose, who smiled widely and reached out for him. Fred ignored the shocked looks cast his way by Ron and Hermione and proceeded in making her giggle by pulling silly faces at her. George gave her a wave and got seated next to Harry.

"Your elf is driving everyone mad Harry! He's muttering about thieves and his filthy master Potter. I swear he's going even more mental!" George bemoaned in the way of a greeting, making Harry sigh. He glanced at the entertained Rose and excused himself.

He walked to the study and closed the door, better to just get it done now that he had company he thought darkly.

"Filthy master is calling poor Kreacher! Master is evil, letting filthy, nasty thieves into noble house of Black!" Kreacher wailed as he apparated in.

Harry was disgusted by the sight of the elf, who was wiping his red weeping eyes and runny nose onto his apron, as he glared up at Harry furiously.

"There are no thieves at the house, it's just the Order, I gave them permission to use the house remember?" Harry said coldly, glaring down at the dirty elf.

"The thief has stolen Mistress's silver mirror, music box and…and Master Regulus's locket!" Kreacher raged, spit flying from his mouth.

"Who is this thief then, who has been stealing stuff from the house?" Harry asked finally, after a short silence punctured only by the elf's heavy breathing.

"Mundungus Fletcher is the thief! He has stolen all of Kreachers precious heirlooms. Kreacher has saved them and the filthy half-blood has stolen them all!" Kreacher wailed. The door to the study opened suddenly, revealing George, who was holding his wand loosely in his hand.

"You alright in here?" He asked, eyeing Harry and the dirty elf curiously. Clearly they were making quite the racket, Harry thought.

"Do you know anything about Mundungus taking stuff from Grimmauld place?" Harry asked, sighing at the look that appeared on George's face.

"Wouldn't put it past him, to be honest mate." George said hesitantly. Harry knew that the twins sometimes used him as a middleman for buying obscure stuff for their joke items and could understand George not wanting to ruin a good deal. But Harry wasn't going to let Mundungus go around and pocket whatever he wanted from Sirius house.

"Damn it George! Isn't someone keeping an eye on him?" Harry exclaimed suddenly furious. How dare the man steal Sirius stuff? He knew that Sirius didn't care for any of the Black heirlooms but there might be something there that actually belonged to Sirius. Something that Harry might want to keep.

"Is he in the house now?" Harry demanded sourly, he'd go over and give the man a talking too.

"No, the meeting ended a while ago, sorry Harry." George said looking uncomfortable.

"It's not your fault. But I expected the Order to look after the house and stuff, you know. Not let Mundungus take whatever he can, to sell for a quick Galleon." Harry muttered tiredly.

"Kreacher, if you see Mundungus steal any more stuff I give you the permission to stun him and remove the items he's taken, with force if you need to." Harry ordered. Kreacher looked rather gleeful as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"Er, don't kill him." Harry added, suddenly nervous of how his order might be misinterpreted by the deranged elf. Kreachers face fell slightly, but he gave a small bow anyway before apparating away.

"Can you please tell Dung I want all the items back, or I'll…I'll press charges. And don't let him take anymore stuff." Harry told George, pulling his hands through his hair, making it stand on end.

"Will do mate." George said agreeably, before they joined the others in the living room.

Fred quickly handed the baby back with a grimace and Harry snorted, as a sniff told him why.

After changing the smelly Rose, with Hermione supervising whilst looking up the proper way to change a nappy, they made it back downstairs to the others. Hermione had gushed at all the little toys and said how lovely the baby's nursery was. She seemed happy with Harry's skills and finally put her book away much to the relief of Ron.

Harry called Dobby to escort the two Hogwarts students back to the castle and asked that they not tell anyone they had seen him.

Ron rolled his eyes at him.

"Yes, like I can keep Snape out of my head. I'm just glad you haven't told us where we are, I'm sure to get a detention for this." Ron said lightly, making Harry glad he'd insisted on Dobby simply kidnapping them. They parted amid lots of hugs and well wishes, leaving the house somewhat quiet with just himself and Rose present.

Harry decided to read some more about Apparition as the twins had promised to come over again for a spot of practice with him later on in the week.

Weekends were generally homework free as Harry wanted to just have some free time with Rose and the twins whenever they came over.

He had already gotten to the halfway point in his study books anyway and was about to do his first midterm progress test ,which would be on Transfigurations.

By December fifteenth he was scheduled to have finished all the progress tests and would know what he needed to put more work on. The real exams were held in June of course.

Harry had chosen his test centre already.  
><em>Mrs Burks school for gifted boys<em> was perfect as it offered drop-in exams in June, meaning that he wouldn't have to tell anyone that he was coming ahead of time which suited him well.  
>He really didn't want the Prophet there to document his results live. Besides, it was safer for everyone else sitting their exams if Voldemort didn't know where he was.<p>

The next morning Harry was horrified to read that Katie Bell had been attacked on the way back from her visit to Hogsmead. Hermione had sent him a letter the night before which he'd picked up in the morning.

Ron and Hermione, who had asked to be dropped back in the village by Dobby, so that they could pretend to have been there, had come across her and another student as they walked back to the castle.

Hermione was sure that Katie had been cursed by a necklace she'd been carrying and said that the girl had been taken to St. Mungos for expert care. She promised to update him when she knew more.

Harry was relieved that Ron and Hermione had gotten back to the castle safely and hoped that Katie would be alright.

During the first week of November Harry had finished his transfigurations test which had been as expected, he had some things to work harder on but all in all he was headed for another E in the subject which he was rather pleased about.

He and the twins had celebrated the end of his first progress test with an impromptu private party, where Harry had managed to Apparate from the living room to the kitchen without leaving any body parts behind. He wasn't quite ready to try it with Rose yet though but felt relieved to know, that he now knew how to Apparate.

He wasn't legal, but as the twins pointed out, who would find out and what could they really do about it? They would have to catch him in order to tell him off. And they really had bigger fish to fry in terms of catching Deatheaters, than prosecuting Harry Potter for learning how to Apparate without ministry approval.

_End of chapter  
><em>_Ta da! What do you think? Thanks for reading: ) mina_


	9. Chapter 9

**_Hello all, sorry for the wait. Queens jubilee and kids holiday. And I'm suddenly moving back to Sweden next month, too expensive to live here as a student and I was offered to continue my studies at home. (My little sister is over the moon and my nephew says I'm going to live in his room now and play with his toys, he's three. ) It's actually going to be lovely too see everyone again for longer than a visit…  
>Hope the chapter is worth the wait….Mina<em>**

**Trinkets:**

* * *

><p>The last week of November brought enough snow to keep Harry and Rose housebound, Harry couldn't get the door open at one point as snow pushed up against the other side.<br>He had finished his Potions and Herbology progress tests and was feeling very pleased with his results.  
>For his Herbology he had managed to grow some winter roses, which now stood blooming outside in a pot. The bright red roses looked rather striking and magical against the whiteness of the snow.<p>

Fred was ever so proud at the strong E Harry had managed to get on his test paper and vowed to get Harry up to an O before the real tests in the summer. Harry too, was rather pleased with his results and wondered if it would be suicidal to send a copy of his grade to Snape, just to rub it in.

Rose who was turning six months in a matter of weeks had discovered the joy of jumping up and down on Harry's knees. She had also developed a very close relationship with one of her soft toy animals. She didn't want to leave the little colourful cat anywhere, not even when she went for her naps.  
>Harry had managed to clean it away once and had realised just how strong a bond the baby had to the cat, when she wouldn't stop crying for it. He'd bought two more identical toy cats after suffering the consequence of that first being lost.<br>It was sweet really, the way she babbled with and hugged the little toy close to herself. It was lucky that Harry knew the scrougify spell, as it probably would have been highly unsanitary from all of her chewing and drooling otherwise.

He'd sent a letter to Ron and Hermione so that he could brag a bit about his test results. He'd received two letters back, one from Hermione and the other from Ron.  
>It was a bit odd he'd thought, opening Hermione's first, they usually sent him a joint letter.<p>

Hermione had written about how her lessons were going and how she thought she was doing so far.  
>She'd written about how Hagrid was getting more and more worried about Aragog, his spider who had gotten sick earlier in the year.<br>Harry wasn't sure what to feel about the giant spider, which had set its children on him and Ron in their second year. He guessed he should send Hagrid a little note just so the man knew Harry felt for him.  
>He noticed towards the end of the letter that Hermione hadn't mentioned Ron even once making him wondered if they were fighting.<p>

Ron on the other hand had mentioned Hermione plenty in his letter.  
>He'd written about her snogging Krum in their fourth year and how she was in the wrong. He wrote about her having cursed him when he'd done nothing to deserve it. He had scars, he wrote.<br>Harry didn't think Hermione was the sort of person to curse people unprovoked and wondered what Ron had done to set her off.  
>Besides which, what did it matter if Hermione had kissed Krum, that had been in their fourth year.<br>Ron also wrote that he was dating Lavender Brown now and that they had taken up snogging everywhere they could in the castle. Harry glossed over the last part of the letter as it simply waxed on about how lovely Lavender was and where they had kissed.

Harry wondered at the omission of Ron's name or the fact that Ron was dating in Hermione's letter, he wasn't sure how to ask her though.  
>He felt a tendril of relief at not being stuck in the middle of their fight this time but there was also a small part of him that felt envious of Ron.<p>

Not about kissing Lavender! He had no feelings that he knew about when it came to Lavender Brown, he'd always thought she was slightly annoying to be honest. No, he was envious about Ron being able to kiss any girl he wanted, whilst Harry was stuck with a baby and Fred's girlfriend. Who would dare to think un-pure thoughts about one of the twins girlfriends? Imagining Freds retaliation if he made a move on Angelina made him shudder.  
>Getting Roses wet raspberries would have to do for him at the moment though, what girl his age would want to get involved with him now that he had a baby anyway? Looking down at Rose who was seated on the floor playing with her cat and some blocks, he decided that he would chose her anyway if he ever had to make the choice.<p>

Harry who hadn't heard from Kreacher since the elf had come and told him of Mundungus stealing from Sirius house, had a shock one evening during the first week of December when Kreacher and the man appeared in the study amid a lot of cursing.  
>Harry who'd been in the kitchen snacking, hurried into the study with his wand drawn but seeing that the elf had the upper hand felt a bit calmer. Rose who was sleeping upstairs was safe for the moment or the monitoring charm he'd put on her cot would alert him.<p>

Mundungus stared up at him from the floor and grunted when Kreacher banged his head on the floor. The elf who was seated on top of Mundungus back looked happier than Harry had ever seen him.

"Filthy thieve, Kreacher will cut his hands off, yes he will!" Kreacher exclaimed merrily, making Mundungus squirm wildly. Harry summoned the mans wand, just in case he got out of the elfs manacling grip.

"Not yet Kreacher, let's hear what he has to say to his defence first." Harry said, making Kreacher nod reluctantly. The elf continued to sit on the mans back and didn't take his eyes off him though.

"Wha've I done to ye Potter? Why did ye sick your ouse-elf on me? Get 'im off me will ye!" Mundungus pleaded, eyeing Kreacher nervously over his shoulder.

"I want all of Sirius stuff back." Harry said, pulling his chair out calmly. Mundungus eyed him with his watery eyes to no avail, Harry was not falling for any tricks.

"I'm innocent! I aint taken nothin!" Mundungus protested, before grunting in pain as his head met the floor once again with a small thud, courtesy of Kreacher.  
>"Ger im off me!" Mundungus screamed, looking even more dishevelled than before.<p>

"Where is Sirius stuff?" Harry asked coldly.  
>Kreacher pulled the mans arms further back, making Dung's face twist with pain.<p>

Harry was just about to tell Kreacher to stop when the dingy man gave a shout of surrender.  
>"Fine, I ave it! Just call im off me, call im off me!" Mundungus screamed before glaring at Harry through bloodshot eyes.<p>

Harry gave Kreacher a small nod and the elf loosened its grip slightly.  
>"Hold on to him though in case he tries to get away." Harry cautioned the elf who nodded pleasantly.<br>"And if you do get away, I'll ask Kreacher to bring you back, this time however he sees fit." Harry added making Dung eye Kreacher fearfully. Kreacher eyed him hungrily as if hoping for a good chase.  
>Mundungus started to empty his pockets, with angry curses aimed at both Harry and the elf.<p>

"It's a pain to have people take your stuff isn't it?" Harry asked pointedly, Mundungus glared at him and motioned for the pile of objects on the floor.

"That's it, I aint got no more! I wanna leave now, so gimme back my wand." Dung bit out. Harry eyed the small pile, aware that he had no clue if the things were from Grimmauld place at all.

"Are those the things from the house Kreacher?" Harry asked making Kreacher move closer.

"This be mistress mirror and that be goblet with family crest, the rest is not from noble house of Black." Kreacher said holding the mirror close to his body protectively before glaring angrily at Mundungus.

"Where are the rest of Sirius things?" Harry demanded.  
>Mundungus who looked as if he was on the verge of fighting his way out of the room wandless, gave Kreacher a loathing look and put his hand in his pocket again. Two more goblets, a small silver coin and a necklace were added to the pile.<p>

Kreacher dove for the pile and gave out a screech of triumph.  
>"Masters locket!" The elf cried looking deranged.<p>

Mundungus looked furious at the mention of the locket.

"Good luck sellin tha one, it's burnin ot, Borgins went nuts e did, when I sho'd it to him. He raved on bout how tha and Huff'puffs Cup had been stolen from im.

You'll ave a ard time gettin any buyers for tha. I could put ye in touch with some…" Mundungus was cut short by Kreacher who smashed his head into the desk breaking what sounded like Dung's nose in the progress.

"Masters locket is not for sale!" Kreacher screeched furiously.

"Gimme my wand back, ye have your stuff!" Mundungus screamed at Harry, holding one hand to his bleeding nose and the other out for his wand.

"You take as much as a teaspoon from Grimmauld place again and I'll let Kreacher do whatever he wants with you." Harry said, making Kreacher bow deeply in appreciation.

"Thank you Master, Kreacher will cut the thief's hands off and lock him in the basement until he is shrivelled and black." Kreacher said solemnly clutching his precious locket.

"Mental ye are! Both of ye!" Mundungus exclaimed, eyeing them wildly.

"Take him to Dumbledore and then come back." Harry ordered the elf, handing Mundungus his wand back right before the elf apparated them away.

Harry didn't relish the thought of keeping any of the Black stuff in his house and wanted the elf to take it with him back to Grimmauld place.  
>Kreacher reappeared in the matter of seconds and Harry eyed the now snivelling elf in disgust. Kreacher stood stroking the locket with a despairing look on his face and Harry wondered what it was that made the locket so special.<p>

"Master Regulus locket, Kreacher has failed noble master again." Kreacher sobbed, seemingly unaware of being back in Harrys presence.

"How did you fail Regulus?" Harry asked, curious to hear more of Sirius Deatheater brother.

"Master Regulus asks Kreacher to destroy the locket but Kreacher has failed. Kreacher has tried everything but nothing has worked. Nothing at all." Kreacher wailed, blinking up at Harry with tearstained cheeks.  
>Harry shifted in the chair as Kreachers stare started to change subtly.<br>"Harry Potter destroyed the Dark Lord when he was a baby. Kreacher has heard the mudbloods and blood traitors talking in the house, Harry Potter can kill the Dark Lord again, Harry Potter has special powers." Kreacher said moving closer to Harrys chair.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, fingering his wand just in case the elf went mental and decided to attack him. Kreacher held out his precious locket for Harry to see.

"Master Regulus stole it from the Dark Lord, it holds terrible powers. Master asked Kreacher to destroy it but Kreacher has tried and tried and nothing works." Kreacher said mournfully. Harry eyed the locket dangling from the elfs outstretched hands with a look of apprehension.

"Sirius brother stole that from Voldemort?" Harry asked reaching out to grab the locket.

Kreacher held on to the chain and eyed him with hard eyes.  
>"It must be destroyed, it is masters last order." Kreacher said before letting go of the chain, looking somewhat mollified at Harrys agreeing nod.<p>

"Can you take all the other stuff back to the house? Mundungus will hopefully have learnt his lesson now but do keep an eye out for him anyway." Harry said making Kreacher nod before disappearing with the pile of things on the floor.

Harry stared at the intricate green S on the locket, what were the powers that the locket held he wondered? He turned it over in his hand before trying to pry it open but it was stuck together tightly.  
>He placed it on the study desk and shot of spell after spell, trying to destroy it. He picked it up again and just stared at it in puzzlement, what charms and protections did it have and how was he supposed to break them?<br>Perhaps the twins would know, he would continue to try to break it until the next time either of them came over.

He sat there lost in thought for a moment trying to decide what to do about it when he became aware of something odd. His hand was pulsating around the locket or was it the other way round.  
>Harry slammed the locket onto the desk and stood from the chair.<p>

It felt as if it was alive, was it like the diary? A soul sucking toy of Voldemorts? Well he wasn't having it in the house, not with Rose nearby.

He moved to the fireplace and floo called the twins place.  
>George appeared into the room at Harry's call.<br>"What's wrong?" He asked at once.

"Is Fred there? I need someone to watch Rose for the night, I just need to go out and do something." Harry said, feeling very uncomfortable in the knowledge of what was on the desk behind him. Turning his back on something that belonged to Voldemort was in his mind not a good idea.

"Sure, Fred! Oi Fred! Harry needs you to watch the princess!" George called out turning away from the fire.

"Just er, send him over ok, I need to…Just tell him to come as soon as he can, thanks." Harry said pulling his head from the fire, he had chills crawling up his back and he really wanted that locket out of his house.  
>Fred appeared moments later from the floo with George hot on his heels.<p>

"You ok, mate?" Fred asked looking around suspiciously as if expecting someone to jump out from a corner at any moment.

"Yeah I'm fine, Rose is sleeping and she shouldn't wake up. If there is any trouble at all just call Dobby and have him come and get me." Harry said, planning ahead in his head what he was about to do.  
>"I'm just going to check on her before I go, but she should be fine." Harry said, taking the stairs two at a time before quietly sneaking in to the nursery, where Rose lay sleeping holding on to her little kitty even in her sleep. She'd be fine with the twins looking after her, Harry told himself as he went downstairs again.<p>

The twins stood gazing at him quizzically at the bottom of the stairs and he quickly gathered his thoughts together and made a quick plan.  
>The last time he'd seen one of Voldemorts little trinkets he'd stabbed it with a basilisk tooth and saved Ginny, what was to say it wouldn't work again?<p>

"Erm, you sure you're alright Harry, you look kind of weird?" George asked sharing a quick look with his brother.  
>"Maybe I should come with you?" He added making Harry shake his head.<p>

"I'm good George. I'll be in a safe place, one of the safest in Britain in fact." Harry said, watching as two identical looks of comprehension appeared on their faces.

"Finally taking the bull by its horn, eh Harry? Dumbledore talk you into meeting him finally? There are Aurors guarding the school, you might find it a bit tricky to sneak in." Fred said cheerfully rubbing his hands together.  
>Harry held up the map and his cloak and both of the twins grinned again.<br>"Guess it shouldn't be a problem for someone with your gadgets." Fred said winking.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, just camp anywhere you want and there is lots of food. Just do whatever." Harry said, stuffing the locket into a kitchen towel and grabbing everything else he needed. The twins shared another silent look.

"Harry…" George was interrupted by Harry's upheld hand.

"I'll be fine. I'm a big boy. If you want something to do, figure out a way for me and Rose to come for a Christmas visit, without Dumbledore or the Order finding out." Harry said walking towards the door.

George cracked a delighted smile at the challenge.  
>"Well that would sort out mum's Christmas present." He said getting a nod from Fred.<p>

"Sure thing, we'll make it safe for ickle Harrykins and his Rose to come for Christmas dinner." Fred said messing Harry's hair up as Harry went past heading for the door.

Harry rolled his eyes at them and trudged through the deep snow.  
>He apparated away at the edge of the garden and soon appeared in the darkening Hogsmead. He slipped his cloak on and hoped nobody noticed the footsteps that were appearing on their own in the snow.<p>

When he got close to the Hogwarts entrance he pulled out the map and checked for any guards and teachers and was cheered when non were near. It was odd to be back in the school again, not seeing anyone around made it even weirder. It must be later than he'd thought if everyone was in their common rooms already.

He felt nostalgic as he crept through the corridors headed in the direction of the second floor where Myrtles toilet was.

A moment later when he gave the map a cursory glance, he spotted with a start Mrs Norris and Filch headed in his direction.  
>Mrs Norris came round the corner first and Harry stood still next to the wall. The cat glanced in his direction before moving on. A muttering Filch shuffled past a moment later and Harry let out a giddy breath. He hadn't lost his sneaking abilities staying at home, he was glad to find.<br>Feeling relieved he quickly rounded the corner and froze.

A door right ahead had opened suddenly and an unfamiliar man stepped into the corridor mid-sentence.

"…Just saying that I can't be seen as taking favourites, besides which, the boy is showing non of the flair for brewing potions that you had suggested. I cannot award him an O as he keeps handing in barely acceptable work. Now young Miss Granger is one to take notice off, clearly going far that one, she has shown a deep thirst for knowledge. Very nice girl, miss Granger." The man said looking into the open doorway and smiling at someone Harry couldn't see.

"I understand your reluctance Horace but Draco is having a very hard time at the moment what with his family situation. I was hoping that some discretion could be afforded, I shall speak with him myself and make sure he understands the gravity of the situation." Harry was horrified to see Snape step out into the corridor after the other man.

"Naturally, I guess I may have been a little hard on the boy. He isn't his father after all, is he?" The man said lightly eying Snape surreptitiously.

"Thank you Horace, your kindness is much appreciated." Snape said, nodding as the man wished him goodnight.  
>Harry and Snape both stood watching as the other man slowly disappeared down the corridor before turning the corner and leaving them alone.<br>"Foolish, stupid boy!" Snape hissed breaking the silence.

Harry blinked at the words and watched as Snape stalked down the corridor in the direction of the Slytherin dungeons furiously. Harry marvelled at the fact that Malfoy seemed to be barely passing in potions, which Harry had thought to be one of the other boys strongest subjects.  
>Perhaps he should send Snape his potions mark and really rub it in, Harry thought wickedly.<p>

Harry continued his trek to Myrtles bathroom and let out a sigh of relief as the door finally loomed ahead of him. He pushed it open slowly and gave the girls bathroom a quick glance before stepping in and closing the door.

He spotted an empty bottle of butterbeer and shook his head at the thought of anyone hanging out in here. Only someone really desperate would choose to hang out in this room out of all the other ones to choose from in the school.  
>Spotting the sinks he quickly threw the cloak off and stuffed it inside his jumper.<br>He moved closer, hissed at the snake and watched as the dark opening revealed itself. It really didn't look any more inviting than last time, Harry thought before sliding down into the dark abyss. If he remembered correctly he would be coming out the other end in the middle of a pile of animal bones.

After hurtling down the slide and getting more than a few bruises from constantly banging into the walls whenever there was a turn, he arrived at the bottom with a hard landing.  
>Using scrougify, he tried to get as much of the slimy gunk of his clothes and hands as he could but vowed to have a very long shower as soon as he got back home.<br>It was truly disgusting in the tunnel where he stood and he wondered if he should have just stayed at home, before berating himself for having gone soft. Had he not survived to tell the tale of his visit last time?

He brushed of the last of the dirt he could see and aimed the wand ahead so he could see where he was going.  
>Numerous red, glinting eyes glared at him from the shadows and he shuddered.<br>Rats, lots and lots of fat rats. He couldn't stand the beasts as they reminded him of having slept in the same room as the filthiest of them all, Pettigrew. He aimed his wand at them and let out a spurt of water making them scurry away amid lots of scratching and squealing.

"Disgusting." He muttered as he stumbled ahead, away from the now silently glaring rats. Maybe he'd been wrong to kill the snake as he couldn't remember seeing any rodents last time.

The corridor seemed smaller this time and when he came across the fallen debris from last time he realised that there was no way he would fit through the small hole as he had when he was younger.  
>He started to carefully shift away stones around the hole and finally squeezed through the opening. He wiped the dust off his hands on his trousers and continued his journey.<br>He could hear the rats scuttling around in the darkness surrounding him and hoped they weren't planning to retaliate for the shower he'd given them.

He was stopped suddenly as a wall appeared sooner than he'd anticipated and he hissed at the two entwined snakes set into the wall. Their green eyes glinted in the light of his wand and he felt a shiver travel down his spine.

The chamber that opened up in front of him was like something out of a nightmare. He spotted the giant shape of the slain basilisk at once, it was hard to miss and even harder to forget. He couldn't quite believe he'd survived the encounter with it at twelve and managed to actually kill it. It was a rather impressive achievement, he thought.

It was bloody huge, he thought as he slowly edged closer to it.  
>Memories of being chased by it assailed him as he stared at its still form, he wouldn't have survived without Fawkes he thought dumbly, staring at the hollowed out eyes.<p>

The white fang protruding from the snakes mouth made his arm tingle and he remembered the pain of one like it, slicing through his arm before slowly poisoning him. Definitely wouldn't have survived without Fawkes, he thought again.  
>He aimed his wand at the fang and severed it from the body relatively easy.<p>

Pulling out the bundle of fabric from his pocket he spread it out on the damp floor. The green stones set in an intricate S on the locket sparkled in the dim light. The locked started shaking as if anticipating what was to come. Harry tried again to pry it open but it stubbornly stayed shut.  
>"Open up you piece of junk!" Harry spat crossly before jumping back surprised when it did.<p>

A pair of piercing eyes stared out at him from the two windows and he startled as it spoke.

"He'll take her Harry. He'll take her and you'll never see her again." The locket hissed. Harry watched as a Dumbledore appeared to grow out of the locket holding a crying Rose roughly in his arms.  
>"He'll take her and there is nothing you can do to stop him. Who shall care for the child then, she'll be left and forsaken like rubbish." It continued, as Harry's heart stuttered within his chest.<p>

"Silence!" The transparent Dumbledore hissed at Rose before shaking her violently making her head loll to the side.

"See how he cares for her, he'll destroy her, kill her! Take some of my power for yourself and you shall be unstoppable. No one shall stand in your way, no one will take her from you." The locket tempted and Harry could feel power filling him, more than he'd ever had before. He would be more powerful than Dumbledore, he would be truly unstoppable.  
>He'd be able to protect and care for Rose without ever having to fear for her safety again. He would be…<p>

Harry tore his eyes away from the baby figure of Rose with red eyes smiling down at him and plunged the forgotten basilisk fang into the locket. There was a piercing scream and Harry felt a terrible weight lift from his shoulders as he sagged from his kneeling position on the floor. His breath was coming in fast gasps and his hand shook as he lifted the chain holding the now smouldering locket into the air.

"Stupid filthy piece of junk." He muttered before slamming it back down on the towel and wrapping it up securely. He was dumping that in his vault at Gringotts, no way was he taking it back home.  
>He glanced at the basilisk fang before shrugging, might as well take it with him in case the Black's had anymore of Voldemorts little trinkets lying about.<p>

Standing up somewhat gingerly he turned his back on the stone statue of Salazar Slytherin, which had been staring down at him during his little exorcism and exited the dimly lit chamber with lighter steps. He was getting back home as soon as he could so he could see that Rose was fine. He'd rather die than see her hurt by Voldemort.

He arrived back at the beginning of his journey and stood scratching his head feeling incredibly stupid.  
>How on earth was he to get out, he wondered.<br>"Er…Fawkes?" He called out hopefully. He stood feeling rather hopeless for a moment amid the renewed scuttling of the rats before a bright flash blinded him.

Fawkes gave a joyful thrill in the way of a greeting and Harry wondered if the bird was reminiscing his own battle the last time he'd been down here.  
>"Hello Fawkes would you mind giving me a lift up?" Harry asked, smiling when the bird waved his tail feathers at him. He took a firm grip and felt himself lift from the ground.<p>

They appeared in the bathroom in the matter of minutes and Harry turned to observe the sink reappear as if nothing untoward had been happening. Fawkes gave a soft thrill before disappearing in a flash of gold.

"Thanks." Harry said to the empty space where the bird had been, he wondered if Gringotts was open this late at night, his watch was showing twelve fifteen.  
>Draping the cloak over himself again he set off towards the entrance in a hurry.<p>

"Harry?" A voice called out as he reached to open the front doors.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry called out at once almost without thinking, surprised to actually see the wand fly out of the headmasters hand. He threw the cloak off and caught the wooden stick as it neared his head.  
>He stared in shock at Albus Dumbledore who seemed to have aged massively in the time since he'd last seen the man.<p>

"Harry my dear boy!" Dumbledore whispered, smiling with somewhat moist eyes at him. He moved closer and Harry raised his wand threateningly.

"I'm not staying, Rose is at home and just came for…I just came and now I need to go." Harry bit out, determined to not be fooled by Dumbledores manipulations.

"I have missed seeing you around my boy. It is good to see that you look so well. I am deeply sorry for my earlier actions this year Harry. Can you find it in yourself to forgive an old man his follies?" Dumbledore asked softly. Harry swallowed hard, Dumbledore did look as if he was being honest.

"I really can't stay professor. Rose is at home with… with a babysitter and I'm not going to…I'm fine where I am, happy for once." Harry muttered making Dumbledore nod solemnly.

"I understand Harry, I do. But the wizarding world needs…" Dumbledore trailed off at the fury that rose in Harrys eyes.

"I don't care about the wizarding world at this precise moment professor! I have a baby at home who needs her father just as much as the world needs the Boy-Who-Lived! And you know what? She wins!" Harry spat crossly. Dumbledore closed his eyes and looked as if he regretted his words but Harry didn't care.

"My boy, I'm sorry, I seem to have lost the right words." Dumbledore mumbled rubbing his face tiredly, looking every year of his age. Harry noticed the headmasters other hand hang limp at his side. It was as Ron and Hermione had said, dead looking.  
>"An old mans mistake." Dumbledore said, noticing Harry's stare. Harry shrugged uncomfortably he didn't want to care.<p>

"Harry there is so much I wish to tell you, will you not come and visit in my office, as in the good old days?" Dumbledore asked lightly.

"I'm sorry sir, but I need to go home. Maybe some other time." Harry muttered before wrenching the door open. He threw the headmasters wand back into the entrance hall before disappearing into the dark night.

He kept expecting to be stunned in the back but he made it all the way to Hogsmead without any trouble.

It wasn't until he pulled his own front door open that he stopped to breathe. Both of the twins came hurrying into the hall and stopped to stare at the sight he made, he was covered from head to toe in slimy grime and stood there gasping for breath after having apparated mid sprint as soon as he was able.

"Er…what happened to you?" George asked finally.

"Dumbledore decide to dip you in feathers and tar?" Fred asked, making George nudge his twin with a smile.

"Good one Fred." He said. They stopped smiling though, when Harry hurried past them into the kitchen without a word, bending down and activating the floo.

A goblin appeared looking grumpy at Harry's call.  
>"Sorry, but I need to deposit something into my vault immediately please." Harry said making the Goblin stretch out a hand with long black nails at him.<p>

"I will see that it is done Mr Potter." The goblin said coldly. Harry dug out the wrapped up locket from his pocket and hesitantly handed it over.

"Make sure nobody touches the locket inside. I don't think it'll hurt anyone but it 's best to be on the safe side." Harry watched as the goblin peeked at the locket before giving him a stiff nod.

"As you wish Mr Potter." The goblin said before letting the fire die out without further words. Harry felt lighter than ever as he leaned against the wall next to the floo and closed his eyes.

"So? Have fun?" One of the twins asked after a short spell of silence, where Harry had played the nights events out in his head.

"Yeah, it was lovely." He answered lightly, grimacing as he opened his eyes and spied the state of his hands.  
>"Filthy disgusting place." He muttered standing up on tired legs.<br>"I'm going for a shower and then bed. Thanks for coming over guys, couldn't have done it without your help." Harry said before exiting the kitchen and climbing the stairs.

"Hang on a minute Harry!" George called out incredulously as the twins followed him into the hallway.

"That's it? Thanks for tonight, you can go now?" Fred called out equally appalled.

"I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Right now I need a shower, move Roses bed into my room and lots of sleep. Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you everything." Harry said tiredly from the top of the stairs. He heard them arguing quietly among themselves before the floo activated. He doubled back on himself and hurried down to lock the fireplace from re-entry. He didn't want anymore surprises tonight. Just a long shower, his baby and his bed.

Simple pleasures that he deserved.

He'd take tomorrow as it arrived.

* * *

><p><em><strong>End of chapter<strong>_

**_Ok so, I was going to add Christmas to this chapter and the whole Hogwarts bit wasn't supposed to have happened! Not planned at all, Harry was taking the locket to Gringotts. Don't know where Hogwarts came from, my writing plan has been screwed up: ( Now I need to change some stuff further ahead in the story…Weird when the story just tales off on its own.  
>I hope you guys like it though! Thank you so much for your reviews, they have been very much appreciated. Mina<em>  
><strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**DADDY'S GIRL**

Thanks for all your reviews. On with the story: ) Mina

Chapter 10

* * *

><p>Harry woke up the next morning and turned to find a babbling Rose seated in her cot, she was having a conversation with her kitty.<p>

He didn't want to get up quite yet so just lay there observing her as she alternated between chewing on kitty's ear or poking its eyes.

It was a good thing that he wasn't on the hunt for anymore pets he thought, Hedwig was safe from her grasp as she knew how to fly to safer heights.

"Dada ba!" Rose squealed happily when she turned and noticed Harry's gaze.

"Hi to you too, did you sleep well sunshine?" Harry mumbled sitting up with a yawn. Rose immediately put her arms up for a lift out of her bed and rewarded him with a smile showing off her two new bottom teeth.  
>"Are you hungry?" Harry asked as they slowly descended the stairs.<br>Rose gazed up at him with her mouth around kitty's wet ear in answer.

Harry got himself a tall glass of orange juice and a bowl of porridge. Rose who was sitting propped up in her chair was being given some pureed fruit this morning along with her bottle of formula.

She'd been trying to get her hands on his food for a while and so Harry had read up on different baby foods to give her.  
>She didn't like green foods he'd found, but then which young child did? He remembered being given sprouts as a meal once at the Dursleys and even with hunger clawing in his belly he'd been tempted to just chuck it out the window.<p>

He opened the floo in case the twins decided to pop round for a chat, they had seemed keen the night before.  
>Not even five minutes later the floo roared to life and Fred followed by George appeared with identical scowls on their faces.<p>

"We've been trying for ages!" Fred complained, pulling one of the kitchen chairs out before sitting down.

"Yes, how long were you planning on sleeping for?" George asked sitting down besides his brother.  
>Harry glanced at the clock which read nine fifteen, it wasn't <em>that<em> late.  
>"So! What did you do yesterday?" George prompted when it became clear that Harry was content to continue eating his breakfast in silence.<p>

Harry fed Rose a spoonful of mashed bananas which she seemed to like, going by her open mouth, before looking up at them.

"Oh, Kreacher told me about Sirius brother having stolen something from Voldemort and when I touched it, it felt wrong. I remembered about Ginny and the diary and didn't really want anything with that sort of soul-stealing abilities in the house." Harry said, taking another spoonful of porridge for himself before turning to Rose again.  
>"Open up for the choo-choo!" Harry said to Rose in the silence that followed his words. Rose smiled widely at his order before opening her mouth obediently.<p>

Fred too, opened his mouth a couple of times before taking a deep breath.  
>"So you took the thing to Hogwarts and then what?" He asked, eyeing Harry patiently.<p>

"Oh, I snuck in, opened the chamber of secrets, destroyed the locket using a basilisk fang and then I left." Harry said, enjoying the twin glares aimed his way. Who knew annoying the twins was this much fun.

"Why didn't you let me come? I would have loved to have seen the Chamber of Secrets! And can you imagine what we could do with that dead basilisk?" George said, ending with a dreamy sigh at the thought of the basilisk. Harry hadn't given the dead snake that much thought to be honest.

"So did you guys manage to figure out a way for us to come over for Christmas?" Harry asked, earning himself another glare.  
>"What? Can you not do it?" He asked, wondering if it was all too much work for them.<p>

"That's it!" Fred exclaimed, waving his hands around wildly causing Rose to giggle.

"You're not going to tell us any more?" George added, equally appalled at Harry's lack of imaginative details regarding yesterdays happenings.

"It wasn't all that interesting. There were lots of rats, dirty tunnels, Voldemorts toy tried to tempt me into killing Dumbledore and I almost got caught by the new potions master and Snape." Harry listed, suppressing the shiver of remembrance of the filthy tunnels and the red eyed rats.

The twins stared at him in mute shock.

"That _is _interesting!" They said as one.

"Oh." Harry said, hiding a smile by turning to wipe Roses face with a summoned flannel.

"Oh, he says." Fred bit out sarcastically.

"Yeah, we're likely to get more details out of Snape at this rate." George muttered darkly.

"He didn't actually see me as he was trying to persuade the new potions master not to fail Malfoy in Potions." Harry said feeling rather smug at having learnt that tidbit.

"I did duel with Dumbledore though." Harry said, making them both gape at him.  
>"Well, I summoned his wand before he had a chance to stun and bind me up." Harry corrected, eying the twins with a carefully blank face.<p>

"He doesn't look very good." Harry added thoughtfully after a while, thinking back to how old and frail the Headmaster had looked.

"We think he might have been cursed." Fred said reluctantly, looking unhappy with the change of topic.

"Yeah, that hand looks as if he's touched something he shouldn't have." George said, making Harry nod thoughtfully. The twins would know, they were real good with stuff like that.

"I wonder what it was though, it must have been something really clever for Dumbledore to have missed the curse." Harry mumbled, pulling Rose from her chair and placing her on the floor.

He overturned her toy box leaving her surrounded by balls, rattles and colourful wooden blocks. She made a grab for a small ball which she started hitting his foot with.

"So Christmas?" Harry prompted, bringing out a reluctant grin on Fred's face.

"Well, we figured we could send out charmed invites so that only family members and people invited can enter the house." Fred said looking pleased with himself.

"And we'll lock the floo so nobody can floo in whilst you and the princess are in residence." George added smiling down at Rose, who'd abandoned her ball and Harry's foot.

The baby was half sitting-half lying down as she tried to reach a rattle just out of her reach. Fred lifted his wand to help her but Harry shook his head.  
>"Let her try by herself, she won't learn to crawl otherwise." Harry said, watching her roll onto her stomach with a pout. She kicked her legs and went backwards.<p>

"Wrong way Rosy girl!" Fred snorted. Rose didn't take any notice though as she'd spotted a red wooden car instead.

"Will the wards be strong enough?" Harry asked bringing them back on topic. The twins rolled their eyes at him.

"Yes oh-hermit-one, it should be fine. We won't tell anyone that you're incoming and once you're in it'll be too late for anyone to contact Dumbledore." George said.

"Besides, no one is stupid enough to risk you leaving once mum sees you. Can you imagine the lashing they'd get from her?" Fred added with a grin.

They all turned as the floo flared to life, letting a letter through.  
>It turned out to be from Ron and Hermione who demanded to know why Dumbledore had interrogated them about what Harry had been doing in the castle the previous night.<br>They also wanted to know why he hadn't come up and visited them or let them know that he'd been there.

Harry rolled his eyes at the letter, even though it was good to know that they were speaking to each other again.

"Don't they realise that you are a busy man now? You need to care for a baby, study at home, sabotage Voldemorts evil plans and stay out of Dumbledores grasp! As if you'd have time for a little chat up in the tower." Fred said, observing as Harry took a leisurely sip of his juice.

"They probably think he sleeps in, plays with Rose and sits here eating breakfast at quarter to ten in the morning." George said, as Harry bent to push the small ball towards Rose who smiled before reaching out to grasp it, as it came within reach.

"Don't you guys have work to do?" Harry asked, thinking that he probably needed to get into some clothes before Angelina appeared.

"The shop!" Fred exclaimed rushing towards the floo.

"We left Verity all alone with the Christmas shoppers pounding on the door!" George said with big eyes, rushing after his brother.

Harry snorted and picked Rose up from the floor.  
>They really did need to get some clothes on before Angelina appeared or she'd tease him mercilessly about appearing in slippers and p.j trousers.<p>

It had been two weeks of last minute studying and Defence and Charms progress tests but today was the last day before two weeks of holiday.  
>Harry was going shopping for the last few presents he had yet to get, most had been owl ordered but there were some he wanted to get in person.<p>

He left the kitchen with a grimace, saying goodbye to Rose had not been a good idea.  
>Lately she'd been rather clingy whenever Angelina came over, which was making him feel rather guilty. Was he not giving her enough of his time, leaving her feeling neglected, he wondered.<p>

He made it to the study and quickly flooed away from the house, before her cries made him change his mind. This day really was his last chance at getting his remaining Christmas presents bought. Angelina was taking two weeks off, to be with her family, starting tomorrow.  
>The thought of dragging Rose with him to all the different shops he was planning on going to, wasn't tempting in the least.<p>

Stepping out of the floo grate at Gringotts felt odd, it was awhile since he'd last been there after all.  
>He went down to his vault for a top up of Galleons and was pleasantly surprised to still have a decent pile left. Must be the added Black gold, he thought trying hard to not think of Sirius.<br>He spotted the little bundle containing the destroyed locket and basilisk fang and pushed it to the side with his foot before scooping up some gold.

Leaving the bank a short while later, Harry was surprised at the continued tense atmosphere in the Alley. People were travelling from shop to shop in small groups.  
>Harry made sure his hood was up securely before joining the back of one such group.<p>

He slipped into the Quidditch shop for a present for Ron and motioned for the shopkeeper to not make a fuss. The mans eyes had gone round with recognition and Harry really didn't want to have to leave the Alley so soon after arriving.  
>He made quick work in the bookshop and tried to not linger too long in the sweetshop, where he bought Angelina a huge basket of assorted goodies as a thank you for all her help with Rose.<p>

The twins had sent Harry a note saying that Remus had accepted the invitation to come over, so he was hoping to be able to buy the man a batch of the Wolfsbane potion.  
>The Apothecary didn't stock the potion however, as it was a more specialised item.<p>

He was given the directions to The Poisonous Chalice which had more unusual potions on offer.

Harry pulled the hood lower before entering Knockturn Alley, he was surprised at the sight of Aurors patrolling here too and he gave them a nod as he walked past.

The potions shop was further into the alley than he'd ever been before but the street seemed rather empty.  
>After entering the very dark and dingy shop, the seller had been more than happy to sell Harry the vial he requested.<br>Harry had been appalled at the price of one months worth and had asked just how a werewolf was supposed to afford the potion, when most wizards refused to hire them on. He'd been forced to leave rather quickly after that as the seller had looked more than ready to curse him for his words.  
>"You dare to question me boy!" The seller had growled as Harry hurried out the door.<br>Harry muttered darkly to himself about the unfairness of it all.

On his way back towards the more likable Diagon Alley he had spotted Narcissa Malfoy out and about.  
>Draco Malfoy's mother looked haggard and drawn as she made her way to Borgin and Burkes.<p>

Harry had naturally positioned himself outside the windows so he could see what she was buying or selling. Mr Weasley would find either interesting, he was sure.  
>He was sorely disappointed when she headed for a scruffy looking cabinet. He stayed outside the shop for fifteen minutes alternating between staring at Mrs Malfoy and keeping an eye on the rest of the street.<br>All he learnt, was that she seemed mightily interested in the cabinet. She didn't look at any of the other objects or try to sell anything.

Mr Borgin was clearly explaining something to her as he waved his hands about and opened and shut the cabinet doors several times. Mrs Malfoy simply stroked the cabinet as one would a loved one, it was all rather odd and boring. Must be a family heirloom or something, Harry decided.

He had followed her out of Knockturn Alley but soon lost sight of her in the fidgety crowds.

After that he had left the wizarding street in favour of the muggle side of London, where he was getting the last presents.  
>It was just Mr Weasley and Rose left to buy for, all other presents had been owl ordered or bought today in the alley.<br>Entering the first bookstore he could see, he soon had Mr Weasleys present sorted and headed for a children's shop.

He felt rather pleased an hour later as he covertly shrunk the last shopping bag before apparating home. Only one person had recognised him, if you didn't count the goblins, it was almost as if the wizarding world hadn't expected him to go Christmas shopping at all.

Harry spent the last few days before Christmas dressing the house up.  
>He and Rose had gone and bought a tree and then Harry had spent an hour decorating it with newly bought decorations. He'd charmed the star too shine brightly up on the top of the tree.<p>

Rose loved the shiny baubles, the tinsel and the low branches, she tried to drag herself over to the tree whenever she was on the floor.

Harry had been stupid enough to put a few presents under the tree just to see what it would look like and Rose had managed to get her hands on them before he noticed.  
>She hadn't quite managed to open them but there were little tears in the wrapping paper and some of the parcels looked as if she'd tried to slobber her way through the paper. The present for Hermione even had little teeth marks on it.<p>

The day before his and Rose's surprise visit to the Burrows, Harry packed all the shrunken presents into a small bag.  
>He also packed a bag full of different toys, clothes, nappies and foods for Rose, he was also planning on taking her cot with him as she would need somewhere to sleep. He made sure to pack a pair of p.j's, some spare clothes and a toothbrush for himself just in case Mrs Weasley wanted them to stay longer than then one night he was planning on.<p>

Harry apparated to the edge of the Burrows garden the next afternoon with Rose and slowly walked up the path. He felt a curious shiver go down his spine and looked down to see that Rose's eyes had gone large and guessed that she too had felt the magical ward the twins had set up.  
>He was glad that he'd placed Rose's invitation in one of her overall pockets, just in case.<p>

"Your uncles are geniuses." Harry mumbled into Roses hood as he walked them up the path to the front door. All the lights were on inside and Harry could already imagine the cosy chaos that would greet him when they got in.

He took a deep breath before raising his hand to knock on the door.

"Who is it?" He heard Mrs Weasley call before the door opened.  
>"Oh! Oh my! Oh, Harry!" Mrs Weasley screamed as she seemed to be going into shock at the sight of him and Harry quickly handed Rose over to Fred who stood beside his mother with a large grin.<p>

"Merry Christmas Mrs Weasley, hope you don't mind two more guests?" Harry asked.  
>Mrs Weasley burst into tears and pulled him into a had hug. She kept mumbling incoherent things into his ear in between sobs.<p>

"Harry! What are you doing here?" Ron asked as he came skidding down the stairs with a surprised look on his face, followed by a similarly shocked Ginny.

"Fred and George sorted it all out, made it safe for me and Rose to come for a visit." Harry said, making Mrs Weasley turn to the twins with teary eyes.

"You boys did this?" She asked sniffing, before going still at the sight of the still bundled up Rose in Freds arms.  
>"Oh, but isn't she precious!" She cooed enchanted moving closer, making Rose reach out for her daddy.<p>

"Back to daddy eh Rosy girl." Fred said handing her over to Harry. Mrs Weasley looked as if she wanted nothing more than take the baby for herself.

"Why don't we go into the sitting room? It's much warmer and roomier than the hallway." George pointed out, making Mrs Weasley usher Harry and Rose towards the sofa.

"But Harry how did you get here? You didn't take that awful bus did you? Anyone could have seen you and it's just not safe dear." Mrs Weasley worried, hovering over Harry, who calmly started to extract Rose from her overall and boots.

"We apparated." Harry said, making Ron's head snap up from his perusal of Rose. There was a small pile of winter clothes on the seat next to Harry when he finished undressing her.  
>Rose eyed the family of red heads from Harry's lap with big eyes before letting her bottom lip tremble.<p>

"Oh the poor dear! Does she need a hug? Yes she does, you come to grandma Molly." Mrs Weasley said, lifting Rose from Harry's lap. Harry held his breath and he could see Fred and George eying Rose in anticipation.

Rose let out an immediate howl of protest at her removal and tried to turn back to Harry, who stood with a sigh. He took the now crying Rose back from Mrs Weasley and pulled the baby bag out of his pocket.  
>"It's alright sweetie, daddy's here." Harry mumbled into her hair whilst rocking her gently. Ginny and Mrs Weasley both eyed him with big eyes.<br>"It's so exciting isn't it? All these people wanting to meet you." Harry continued, enlarging the bag and rooting around in it. A moment later Rose had her little Kitty in a firm grip and her head burrowed into Harry's shoulder.  
>"Sorry, we haven't been out much and she's been a bit clingy lately." Harry said awkwardly, patting Rose's back comfortingly as she continued to sob on his shoulder.<p>

"She's a daddy's girl, that's all!" Fred said with a smile, eyeing the looks on the others faces.  
>Mrs Weasley and Ginny still stood rooted to the spot eyeing Harry and the baby.<br>Bill and Fleur had entered the room at the sound of Rose's howl and now moved closer.

"Ello Arry. It ees good to see you again." Fleur said leaning over to kiss his cheek.

"Hi Fleur, Bill. I hear you guys got engaged, congratulations!" Harry said with a smile, sitting down on the sofa after shaking Bill's hand.

"Thank you Arry, I am very appy with Bill." Fleur said, giving Bill a love struck look. Ginny made an immature gagging motion behind Fleur's back and Harry was glad Fleur missed it.

"And I with Fleur. I see you've been busy too, dad at sixteen and all!" Bill said, nodding at the still hiding Rose.

"She ees very adorable." Fleur said peeking at the pouting Rose, Harry smiled proudly at her comment.

"Oh but Harry isn't her father Bill! It's his muggle cousins child." Mrs Weasley said, glaring at Bill for the comment.

"Well actually she is mine, I got full custody of her and she's been named as my heir." Harry said, stroking Rose's soft curls gently.

Mrs Weasley gasped at his words.  
>"But you're…you're hardly old enough to look after yourself, not least a baby." She whispered sadly.<p>

"We're just fine Mrs Weasley and I'm more than capable of caring for myself _and _Rose." Harry said softly but clearly, making her nod hesitantly, clearly not wanting to cause strife.

"Have you eaten? I can make you some lunch." Mrs Weasley said in the uneasy silence, wringing her hands worriedly.

"I'm good thanks Mrs Weasley, we had lunch right before coming." Harry said with a smile.  
>"I wouldn't mind something warm to drink though, if you wouldn't mind." Harry added at her crestfallen look. She forced a smile and quickly left the room with suspiciously glossy eyes.<p>

Harry slid off the sofa and seated himself on the floor, pulling the baby bag with him.  
>"Let's see what we brought with us then Rose." Harry said cheerfully, making her look up from his shoulder.<br>He pulled out a few of her wooden toys and a rattle before slipping her between his knees onto the floor. She eyed him for a moment and then made a grab for a red wooden car which she banged on the floor with delight.  
>"Ba!" She exclaimed, giving Harry a big smile. She threw the car onto the floor and giggled when Fred drove it back to her.<p>

"Your car my lady." Fred said winking at her, earning another giggle from her.

"She's so cute!" Ginny gushed, sitting down next to Harry on the floor. Rose eyed her suspiciously before turning back to Harry for a lift.

"She's a cute daddy's girl." Fred said making Harry smile.

"Course she is." Harry said, bouncing Rose up and down a few times making her laugh.  
>Ginny sighed dreamily next to him, whilst Ron rolled his eyes.<p>

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked, looking around at the gathered people, It was odd not to see her around.

"Couldn't make it." Fred said lightly.

They all turned at the twin snorts that came from Ron and Ginny.  
>"Too busy snogging McLaggen, I should imagine!" Ron sneered with a dark look on his face.<p>

"Or she might just be avoiding you, Won-Won." Ginny said snidely, making Harry eye her confused.

"Won-Won?" He asked, watching as Ron face turned a deep shade of red.

"That's what Lavender calls him." Ginny said, with relish.

"Yes, well you're snogging Dean so you can't say much!" Ron retorted hotly.

"Dean Tomas?" Harry asked, he was clearly out of the loop on the love dramas at school.

"Yes well Dean and I have been going steady since the summer and I'll have you know that we show far more maturity than some snog obsessed couples!" Ginny snapped, glaring at Ron furiously.  
>"I'm going to see if mum needs any help in the kitchen." She added before stalking off.<p>

"I'm not snog obsessed! Well, not too much!" Ron said, smiling slightly. Fred and George made identical grimaces at his dopey expression.

"Won-Won?" Harry asked again with a smile, making the twins and Bill snort with laughter. Ron glared at them all and gave Harry the finger. Fleur rolled her eyes at them and snuggled closer to Bill.

Harry glanced down at the quiet Rose and spotted her rubbing her eyes tiredly. He pulled out her cot from the bag and enlarged it after having placed it in the corner of the room.

"We got her a room divider, it'll keep it quiet for her but we'll still hear her if she cries." George said, pulling out something that looked like a notebook from his pocket before enlarging it and setting it up round Rose's cot.

"Thanks." Harry said smiling at the thoughtfulness.

"I swear she's grown since I last saw her." Ron said from the armchair, observing Harry getting the bed sorted.

"They do that you know, well some of them do." George said patting him on the head, bringing the scowl back onto Ron's face.

"I'll be seventeen soon, so you just watch it!" Ron threatened making the twins howl with laughter.

"Oh, we're so scared!" George said, making a show of shaking. Ron threw one of the cushions at him crossly.

"Ronald Weasley! There's a delicate baby in the room!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed, looking appalled at his behaviour, she placed the tall cup of chocolate for Harry on one of the small tables.  
>"There you are Harry." She said softly, glancing at the ready set up cot in the corner.<p>

"Thank you Mrs Weasley. I'm just going to put Rose down for her nap and then I'll be free to enjoy my drink." Harry said, pulling out a nappy from Rose's bag.  
>He quickly changed her into a dry one and smiled at her constant yawning.<br>By the time he had her in his arms with a bottle, she was half asleep.  
>When she stopped suckling down on the milk, Harry carried her over to her cot and gently lowered her down, placing kitty by her side. He slid the divider shut and moved back to the sofa.<br>"I just love it when she goes down like that, super easy." Harry said contently, casting a quick warming charm on his chocolate before taking a sip.

Mrs Weasley gave him a surprised look.  
>"Well you seem to be settled into your new role comfortably." She said softly, getting a smile in reward from Harry.<p>

"I'm happy, really happy for once Mrs Weasley." Harry said, making her sniff and nod. She plumped up one of the pillows on the sofa before seating herself next to him.  
>Harry thought she'd give him a talk about babies and being too young but she pulled out her knitting needles, some pink yarn and started knitting.<br>Harry let a small sigh of relief escape and was soon drawn into a conversation with Bill, who wanted to know how he'd managed to keep the world from knowing all about baby Rose.

Harry didn't see Mr Weasley that day as the man came home after Harry, Rose and Ron had gone to bed.  
>Rose's cot had been squeezed into Ron's room as Harry refused to sleep without her.<br>Mrs Weasley had been more than happy to have her in the master bedroom with her and Mr Weasley but Harry was fairly sure that neither he nor Rose wanted that.

Ron had been slightly apprehensive about having her in the room but as the twins had made a fuss about how glad he should be to finally get a girl up for a sleep over, he had dragged Harry and Rose up without further delay.  
>"Stupid pricks…" He had muttered darkly before giving Rose a scared look.<br>"Sorry mate! Don't repeat that Rose or mum will kill me." Ron pleaded with Rose who giggled at his tone. Ron didn't look very relieved with her response and Harry couldn't help but laugh at his best mates face.

Ron had, after all that worrying about cries and stinks, fallen asleep before Harry and Rose had finished reading her bedtime story.  
>Harry had snorted at the noisy snores coming from the red head and had worried that <em>he<em> might wake Rose up.

The next morning had dawned bright and early for Harry, who was woken by Rose grumbling from her bed. She brightened up after getting lifted out of bed and Harry took her downstairs for breakfast.  
>It was very odd to be up so early in the Weasley's house when everyone else was sleeping, It was just too quiet.<p>

Harry made himself a cup of tea, he figured that there might be breakfast in a bit but it felt rude to just help himself to food.

He sat down by the table after sorting Rose's morning bottle out.  
>She was drinking the bottle down greedily and had just finished when Mrs Weasley came through the door.<p>

"Oh, Harry dear!" She exclaimed, bringing her hand up to her heart in fright.

"Sorry, Rose was getting hungry and I didn't want her to wake the house up." Harry said, placing the now empty bottle on the table. Rose eyed Mrs Weasley curiously before showing the older woman Kitty the cat.

"Mrs Weasley, met Kitty." Harry introduced before smiling at Mr Weasley who entered the room still in his dressing gown.  
>"Hi Mr Weasley, Happy Christmas." Harry greeted, stroking Rose's hair as she burrowed into his chest.<p>

"Harry how lovely to see you! Molly told me you came yesterday, so sorry to have missed you. The ministry is frightfully busy at the moment." Mr Weasley said, sitting down opposite of Harry and Rose. The man didn't say anything for a moment, he just sat there staring at Harry and the baby.  
>Rose looked up from Harry's chest and gave the oldest red head a shy smile, which he returned slowly.<br>"Cute little girl you have there Harry." Mr Weasley finally said, breaking the silence.

Mrs Weasley sniffed loudly before banging some pots about on the stove.  
>"Porridge! I'll make us some porridge, it'll set us up nicely for the day." Mrs Weasley said, pointing her wand at a cupboard and summoning the oats needed.<p>

Harry placed Rose on the floor before turning to Mr Weasley, who told Harry all about what he'd been busy doing at the ministry.

Mrs Weasley kept a close eye on Rose who had dragged herself over to look at a stack of magazines. Harry flicked his wand and the papers flew over to an empty stool, too high for Rose to reach. Rose turned and eyed him with a pout.  
>He summoned her toys from the sitting room where they'd been left the night before and she was soon happily playing with a rattle.<p>

By the time Ron came stumbling down, there was a feast on the table. Mr Weasley had left for work even though it was Christmas eve and wouldn't be back until much later.  
>Mrs Weasley had decided to fry up bacon and eggs in addition to the porridge and insisted that Harry have seconds.<br>"No knowing what you eat all alone in your house." She sniffed when he tried to decline. She refused to believe the twins when they told her of the feasts Harry could conjure up, all on his little self.  
>"I refuse to believe that those muggles taught you anything about proper cooking as they couldn't even teach their own son how to keep his…" Mrs Weasley ended her furious tirade abruptly as the twins and Ginny eyed her rather expectantly.<p>

"Udden't eep is wah?" Ron asked, mouth full of eggs. Ginny gave him disgusted glare, whereas the twins just rolled their eyes at his question.

"Sorry Ronniekins, you're much too young to know, if you have to ask!" Fred said making the rest of the occupants nod in agreement. Ron turned to Harry who shrugged. Who was he to go against the majority? Ron scowled at being teased once again.

"Just a few more months." Ron grumbled under his breath. Fred and George snorted and shook their heads.

After breakfast Harry took Rose out into the garden for some fresh air, whilst the rest of the youngsters had a snowball fight.

Harry was rather nervous at the prospect of Remus arriving, he hadn't seen or heard from the man since the summer. He knew, from the twins, that Remus had been on a secret mission for Dumbledore.  
>It felt as if he'd lived a lifetime since their last meeting and he worried what the last Marauder would think of the choices Harry had made so far.<p>

Rose became tired of the snow before anyone else and Harry left the others to continue pummelling each other with snow, whilst he went inside with Rose to sit and read by the fire.

Harry choose a comfortable armchair and seated himself with Rose snuggled up on his lap.  
>They read: The Very Hungry Caterpillar and We're going on a Bear hunt.<br>Rose loved to hide the pictures with her small hands, whilst he read, making them peek out from behind her fingers. Harry thought the wizarding books were far more interesting than the muggle ones.

"Well that was that Rose. What shall we do next?" He asked, holding Rose up in the air. She giggled madly and placed a slobbery kiss on his chin with a grin before yawning.  
>"Love you too sunshine." He mumbled, wiping the slobber off with his sleeve.<p>

He smiled down at her before turning at a small sound behind him.  
>"Remus!" He exclaimed standing up from the armchair, Rose squealing at the sudden movement.<p>

"Hello there Harry and I assume this lovely girl is Rose." Remus said stepping into the room.

"Yes this is Rose, we've just been reading some stories." Harry said, feeling a bit shy all of a sudden.  
>Remus seated himself on the sofa and Harry hurried to sit down in the armchair again.<p>

"You used to love having books read to you as a baby. Your mum was always telling us how important it was to your development. I believe Sirius used to read you the Quidditch results as he thought some of the stories were beneath him." Remus said, smiling softly in remembrance.

Harry's heart sped up at the mention of his mum and Sirius. He looked down at Rose to hide his suddenly stinging eyes, she sat chewing on her sleeve with a small frown.

"I hear you've made some changes other than keeping Rose." Remus said lightly.

"Yeah, I quit Hogwarts." Harry said swallowing hard, thinking that was what Remus was talking about.  
>"But I'm studying at home! I just did some progress tests and I'm doing quite well." He added quickly, feeling relieved at Remus slow nod.<p>

"Education is very important but I'm sure you know that." Remus said watching Harry intently.  
>"I don't think any of us Marauders would have done what you have Harry." He said making Harry's stomach drop.<br>"I don't mean that in a disapproving way!" Remus said quickly at the sight of Harry's jaw clenching.  
>Harry didn't really care, he couldn't have justified leaving Rose with the Dursley's no matter what they thought of his decision.<br>"You are a better man, than we could have ever been at your age." Remus said, bringing a blush to Harry's cheeks.  
>"So how have you been? It must be hard to study and care for a baby at the same time." Remus said changing the topic and smiling at Rose, who was trying to wriggle her way down to the floor with a pout on her face.<p>

"I have a babysitter, who cares for Rose during the day so I can focus on the studies. But it's good, hard at times but worth it." Harry said honestly, placing Rose on the floor. She dragged herself forwards and headed for one of Mrs Weasley's balls of yarn. Harry levitated it out of the way and summoned a ball for her to play with instead.

She gave out a furious howl and burst into tears at the yarns disappearance. Harry decided a nap was in order and stood from his seat.  
>"It was really scary in the beginning, when she was tiny. I thought I might kill her accidentally out of ignorance or at least hurt her but we figured things out." Harry said, speaking over her howling.<p>

Mrs Weasley came bursting through the doorway looking worried.  
>"Is there something wrong? Shall I take her for you Harry dear?" She asked moving closer with arms outstretched.<p>

"She's fine, just tired." Harry responded, ignoring the feeling of irritation at the tone she used. He had been dealing with Rose for six months now, surely he had proven that he could manage a bit of crying?  
>He got out a clean nappy and started getting Rose ready for a bottle.<br>Rose was having non of it though and continued to howl as he fastened the clean nappy before scrougifying the old one.

Harry sighed and cursed the timing of her little meltdown as he spelled the bottle warm. They didn't happen often and it took awhile to settle her down.  
>Mrs Weasley hovered over his shoulder as he sat down with the bottle and finally got Rose quiet. Rose eyed him with wet accusing eyes and soon drifted off into sleep.<p>

"Sorry, she gets overtired at times and just goes into meltdown." Harry excused as he placed her on his chest stroking her back as much for her comfort as for his own. Mrs Weasley opened her mouth but left the room quietly at Remus slight head shake.

"You seem to know what you're doing just fine." Remus said comfortingly, making Harry sigh.

"It was really hard in the beginning." Harry said, closing his eyes. They'd come a long way from him fearing for Rose's life either at his hands or more likely one of the Dursley's.

"Your dad refused to hold you at first, he was so scared he'd drop or bruise you." Remus said, bringing Harry's eyes open. Harry remembered that first lift out of the baby carrier and snorted. Yeah, he'd been scared too, so he understood his dad's feelings.

"They just dumped her on me and refused to tell me anything about how to care for a baby." Harry muttered, stroking Rose's hair softly.  
>"And Dudley nearly killed her when I had a shower. I couldn't leave her there and Dumbledore was talking about dumping her with some strange muggles or Squibs. He made me really mad, you know! I hated living with the Dursley's and they hated me back. Why would I ever agree to leave Rose to have the same fate?" Harry continued crossly, the words spilling from his lips.<p>

"I saw him a couple of weeks ago and he's still thinking about me just leaving her with someone else. He just makes me really mad." He snapped, patting Rose on the back when she stirred at his tone.

"I am sure Albus means well Harry." Remus started, before sighing at the look on Harry face.

"I don't care! She's my baby and I'm not leaving her. I didn't agree to kill Voldemort or be killed myself, just so that the wizarding world can sleep tight at night!" Harry snapped standing up.  
>He transfigured one of the chairs into a small cot and placed Rose into it, he pulled the divider the twins had brought around Rose and turned to face Remus. He was furious all of a sudden. Remus eyed him quietly from the sofa and Harry paced the room crossly.<br>"I don't care what that stupid Prophecy says anyway! Voldemort was stupid to come after me. I wouldn't have to kill him, if he hadn't tried to kill me in the first place!" Harry snapped darkly, turning quickly at the sound of gasps at the doorway.

Fred and George stood staring at him with horrified looks on their faces. Fred pushed George into the room before closing the door so that non of the other Weasley's would hear his words. Harry sat down by the fire with a heavy sigh, great now they all knew.

"I thought the prophecy smashed." Fred said moving deeper into the room.

"Dumbledore had a copy." Harry muttered leaning his head backwards and looking up at the ceiling.  
>"Look, I really don't want to talk about it right now, it's almost Christmas. I'm sorry I snapped." Harry mumbled, glancing at Remus, before rubbing his face tiredly.<p>

"Harry nobody is asking you to kill anybody." Remus said softly.

"Dumbledore is." Harry said without thinking before standing up.  
>"I'm going to…I just need some air. Fred can you watch her please?" Harry muttered, eyeing Fred with a pleading look. Fred nodded reluctantly and they all watched as Harry stalked out of the room and soon the front door shut with a bang.<p>

Harry kicked the snow crossly, cursing himself for loosing his temper like that.  
>Why had he said that? Why had he told them about the prophecy? Maybe he and Rose should go home, perhaps it had been a bad idea to come here, Harry thought darkly.<p>

"Harry mate, I always find flinging the gnomes over the fence helps with bad moods." George said, trudging towards him in the snow.

"I'm fine!" Harry muttered, glaring at George as the red head snorted.

"Yeah, I can see that! You're a real ray of sunshine." George joked, making Harry grumble.  
>"Nobody's going to mention that thing that you mentioned." George whispered loudly, making Harry roll his eyes.<br>"Come on mate, or mum will ask what you're moping about and I don't want to be the one to tell her." George threatened with a shudder. Harry kicked the snow once more before following George towards the house.

"George, I'm going to ask Fred to be Rose's godfather." Harry mumbled, making George freeze on the path to the house.  
>"It's really just in case…just in case, you know." Harry muttered as George continued to stare at him.<p>

"I would have thought you'd ask Ron…or maybe not…" George said, getting an odd look on his face.  
>"Sorry just trying to picture Ron as someone in charge of a baby and I'm not sure I can. He'd kill her for sure or loose her somewhere." George said. Harry nodded after making sure his best friend wasn't lurking nearby.<p>

"What's the matter, why is Harry upset? George Weasley you had better not be fighting with Harry!" Mrs Weasley said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"We weren't fighting, Harry just needed a diva moment. Rose has been getting all the attention and I guess Harry just wanted us to know that he feels left out." George said, patting Harry's head.  
>Harry snorted and walked back to the sitting room where Fred and Remus sat talking quietly.<p>

Ron and Ginny were in the room now too and Harry hoped that they hadn't heard him shouting.

He ignored them all and moved to check on Rose.  
>She slept contently and Harry felt a warm feeling fill his chest as he stood there gazing down on her. She was all that mattered, Harry told himself.<p>

Yes he may well be forced to fight Voldemort again, but not yet.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sorry this chapter just took off, I'll write more Christmas in the next one…Hope you like. Thanks Mina<br>**_


	11. Chapter 11

_Here we go, another chapter coming up. Thank you for all your reviews and your patience as I've gotten settled in here at home: ) feels a bit strange to live with someone else again after seven years on my own. And the three year old waking me up at five, telling me that the moon is sleeping and it's time to get up is a novel way of waking up…  
>Oh well, on with the story: )<em>

Chapter 11

* * *

><p>Harry and Rose woke up before anyone else, again, the next morning.<p>

"Morning sunshine, did you sleep well?" Harry asked quietly, mindful of Ron who still snored in the other bed, before lifting her out of her cot.  
>"I see that someone has been a good girl, look at all those presents." Harry said, summoning one of the many parcels standing by her cot. Rose tore off little strips of wrapping with her hands and Harry smiled at the look of glee written on her face.<br>Her squeal of delight when a small doll jumped out, woke the sleeping Ron up.

"Wha?" Ron asked looking around bleary eyed.  
>"Presents!" He gushed suddenly wide awake as he dived for the pile at his feet. Harry watched as Ron ripped through his presents with as much pleasure as Rose, who was now shredding the wrapping paper and ignoring the doll.<br>"Er…what is this? Some kind of a joke?" Ron held out a thin chain with a small heart shaped pendant attached, in disgust.

"I'm not going to wear this." Ron added appalled after reading the attached card.

"What does it say on the pendant?" Harry reached forwards and read the words My Sweetheart and had to disguise his laugh as a cough.

"She can't expect me to wear this." Ron whispered in horror holding the necklace as far away as he could.

"Well, Sweetheart is better than Won-Won don't you think?" Harry asked, before biting his lip hard at Ron's glare.

"Look Rose, another present for you! What could it be?" Harry quickly changed the topic and handed a present into Rose's eager hands.

A while later Harry and Rose entered the kitchen wearing their Weasley jumpers, with Ron trailing after looking glum.  
>"Sure that you're not going to wear what your special someone sent you?" Harry teased over his shoulder as they entered the kitchen. Ron growled and got seated in his chair shuddering.<p>

"Don't know what made her think I would want…" Ron muttered darkly to himself fiddling with his cutlery on the table.

Rose ,always the quick one, grabbed hold of a bread roll from the table and stuffed it into her mouth to gnaw on. Harry rolled up her sleeves which were a bit long and smiled down at her.  
>He'd been delighted to find the tiny, pink sweatshirt with a sparkly R for Rose among her Christmas presents. It made him feel warm that Mrs Weasley considered Rose as part of the family even though she was against Harry caring for a baby.<p>

As he looked around the table he noticed that everyone but Fleur was wearing their jumpers too. He wondered if Mrs Weasley had knitted one for Fleur or not bothered, they didn't seem to be getting along too well.  
>Which was odd as Fleur struck Harry as being rather nice, and he would have thought that Mrs Weasley would like having another girl in the family.<p>

"Well don't you look gorgeous!" Fred exclaimed from the other side of the table in an exaggerated manner, making Ron grasp for his neck in panic.

"Harry you didn't put it on me, did you?!" Ron said, before realising that Fred was speaking to Rose not him. He blushed and muttered something darkly, into his food. Fred eyed him strangely and gave the chortling Harry a curious look. Ron's tightly clenched hands kept Harry from saying anything about the embarrassing present and he just shrugged at Fred, to Ron's obvious relief.

"She does, doesn't she? Thank you so much for her present Mrs Weasley, and for mine too of course." Harry said, making Mrs Weasley beam from her seat. She was wearing a new hat and a gold necklace that the twins had gifted her and looked to be on cloud nine.

"Oh, it was my pleasure Harry. She does look rather fetching in it and it's so nice to be knitting for a little one again." She said happily handing Harry some carrots. Harry smiled and kissed Rose on the head, happy he had decided to come here after all.  
>Ginny who sat next to Ron on the other side of the table sighed loudly before blushing beet red, when Harry glanced her way.<p>

"See something nice Gin?" George asked with a grin from his seat next to Harry. She gave him a glare and blushed even harder.

"That's ok, I think Rose just makes people stare at her, she's so cute. Aren't you sunshine?" Harry gushed lifting Rose in the air before kissing her again on the head.  
>"Besides, she doesn't seem to mind, so go for it, stare all you like." Harry said with a grin bouncing Rose on his knee, making George grin even wider.<p>

"She sure is cute, isn't she Gin? And you heard Harry, you can stare all you like, they don't mind." George said, ducking when Ginny threw a sprout his way. It fell short and went splashing into the pumpkin juice jug which wobbled dangerously before righting itself.

"Ginny Weasley! What are you doing?" Mrs Weasley scolded, making George smile wickedly and Ginny scowl at having been caught in the act.

"Gravy Fleur?" Ron offered loudly and as he was eyeing Fleur instead of the table, he ending up knocking the gravy boat over in his hurry to hand it to her. Bill cleared the mess up and received a kiss for his efforts from his fiancé, whilst Ron looked sheepish.

"Really Ron, you too?" Mrs Weasley said exasperated.

"It ezz almost like having zat Tonks here." Fleur said with a laugh, making Mrs Weasley glare.

"I actually invited Tonks over for lunch but she said that she was busy." Mrs Weasley said, before turning her glare on Remus who was seated on the other side of Harry.  
>"When was the last time you spoke to her Remus, did she say what she was doing over Christmas?" She asked in an annoyed tone.<p>

"I've been away, as you well know Molly, I haven't really spoken to anyone. I should imagine that she's at home with her own family." Remus said lightly before turning towards Mr Weasley.  
>Mrs Weasley pursed her lips and eyed him without word before huffing loudly. Harry looked between them and wondered why Remus would know what Tonks was doing, perhaps they'd worked together on some mission for the order or something.<p>

"Dada! Bah!" Rose announced into the lull in the conversation, slamming her hand down onto Harry plate and knocking it into his glass which splashed onto Remus. Rose burst into laughter as Harry quickly stood with an apologetic look on his face. He handed Rose across the table to Fred who smiled at the cheeky grin plastered on Roses face.

"Atta girl." He whispered, making sure his mother didn't hear him.

"Sorry Remus!" Harry said holding out his napkin before watching as Remus dried himself with a flick of his wand.

"No worries, Harry. I seem to recall being hit by worse when you started eating on your own." Remus said with a smile.

"Oh, oh Arthur! Look!" Mrs Weasley gasped all of a sudden, pointing out the window.  
>"It's Percy! And…and the Minister of Magic!" She added, making everyone crane their necks to see better. Harry felt nauseous as he eyed the minister hand in hand with Percy. No they weren't holding hand, they were both grasping the invitation card the twins must have sent him.<p>

"That slimy little snake, we only sent him an invitation because of mum!" George exclaimed having spotted the card he too.

Harry cursed silently as the minister smiled broadly at the sight of Harry through the window.

"Fred, he can't see Rose! He's spotted me so I guess I'll have to stay and chat, but can you take her home and I'll come and get you when he's left." Harry said, eyeing Fred pleadingly. Fred nodded and made his way out of the kitchen quickly with Rose in a firm grip.  
>Harry geared himself up for whatever was about to happen and hoped no other uninvited guests were on their way.<p>

"Sorry Harry, we made sure he'd be able to bring Penny if she wanted to come. They were still dating last we heard." George said with an apologetic look on his face.

"It's fine, you didn't know he'd bring the minister over. Guess it was pretty obvious I was coming over, maybe we should have stayed at home." Harry muttered, berating himself.  
>He was only staying put at the moment out of respect for Mr Weasley who worked for the man, but he would have to decide whether to stay at the Burrow or go home afterwards as he didn't like the idea of anyone knowing where he was.<p>

They all turned when the door opened to let Percy and the Minister in from the cold.  
>"Merry Christmas to you all! Hope that we aren't intruding, we were in the neighbourhood and Percy mentioned his family living nearby. Well I couldn't say no when he asked to pop in for a quick hello could I?" Rufus Scrimgeour greeted heartily whilst Percy stood stiff and uncomfortable.<p>

"Oh, Percy! It's so lovely to see you!" Mrs Weasley sobbed before hugging his stiff body close.

"Hello mother." He said avoiding the glares he was receiving from everyone else.

"What a coincidence to see you here Mr Potter, why I have been trying to get hold of you for months. Hard man to catch you are." The minister chortled leaning forwards to shake Harry's hand. Harry felt like rolling his eyes at the Minister, oh he was sure the man had tried to get a hold of him.

"I've been busy sir." Harry said calmly, gripping the Ministers hand for a second before letting go.

"So I noticed. Well why don't I just steal you for a little walk round the garden eh? Leave the family to exchange holiday greetings." Minister Scrimgeour suggested before opening the door and preceding Harry outside.

"You don't have to go Harry." Remus said quietly as soon as the ministers back was turned.

"I'll be fine. I have my wand and I have a few new spells that I've been wanting to try out, in case I need to." Harry said feeling strangely calm about joining the new minister outside on his own. Remus looked unsure but seemed to be holding his tongue.

"Red spark if you want some help." Remus said and Harry nodded before stepping outside.

"I must say that it's nice to finally meet you Mr Potter, Harry." Mr Scrimgeour said looking very pleased indeed. Harry drew a deep fortifying breath and enjoyed the view of the white crisp landscape laid before them.  
>"Well, it came as a great surprise to hear that you had left Hogwarts for special training. I feel that it could have been beneficial to have informed the ministry of your plans before leaving." He added eyeing Harry with a small smile on his face which slowly disappeared as Harry continued to look everywhere but at him.<br>"The ministry would have been and still are very happy to take over your training." Scrimgeour pushed on making Harry stumble.

"Train with the ministry? But you don't know how to catch Deatheaters or fight Voldemort." Harry said incredulously, thinking of some of the people that had been arrested.  
>Scrimgeours' neck turned slightly russet coloured at Harrys blunt words and he cleared his throat.<p>

"Well now, that's not quite true is it?" Scrimgeour protested with a light tone, still trying to maintain his cool.

"You mean you have arrested Deatheaters? Are you one hundred percent sure that the people you have arrested are guilty?" Harry asked before continuing.  
>"And you know where Voldemort is hiding out and you have a plan of action for how to arrest him?" He added in a tone that bellied his disbelief in the matter.<p>

"The ministry is under immense pressure as I am sure you understand. The general public is in a state of panic and we must show strength and action, to bring calm and peace." Scrimgeour said, making no sense to Harry what so ever.

"Now, I would like to offer you the opportunity of training with some of our best Aurors. I am sure you understand what an honour that would be and it would also help to keep you safe. You are a symbol of hope Harry and that is a powerful thing to be in these dark times. It would be of great benefit not only to you but for the rest of the wizarding world if you were to accept our generous offer." Scrimgeour said, eyeing Harry with an earnest look.

"I doubt it would benefit me at all minister, I have a good deal already and I'm getting along with my training just fine." Harry answered after a short spell of silence.

"Ah, but If you trained with the ministry you would be sure to get an advantage in becoming an Auror yourself." Scrimgeour said looking pleased at Harry's look of interest.  
>"Dolores Umbridge has informed me of your ambitions on becoming an Auror and I could set you up for a meeting with my Head of the Aurors, Gawain Robards." Scrimgeour added with a smile, making Harry frown.<br>There was no way he was ever working in the same building as that woman.

"I'm sorry sir, but I seem to be loosing my interest in becoming an Auror with every passing day. You see, I want to protect innocent people and arrest the guilty but the ministry seems to be arresting the innocent and letting the guilty go free." Harry said as they neared the entrance to the Burrow once more, making Scrimgeour glare.

"We all have a duty to do Mr Potter and if the rumours are to be believed yours is to protect the wizarding world. They call you the chosen one you know, not that I see what it is that is so special about you, but the wizarding world needs hope and that is what you are. You have stood against You-Know-Who more times than most Aurors ever will and lived. It's your duty to stand alongside the ministry and offer hope and confidence that the ministry can handle the crisis we are in." Scrimgeour sneered at Harry, before glaring at Remus who'd opened the door bathing them in sudden light.

"I can't do that Minister, you see, I myself have no confidence in the ministry and wouldn't want anyone else to think that I do." Harry said honestly looking the minister in the eye.  
>"Now if you excuse me, but I believe my food is getting cold." Harry added before walking past Percy who rushed to join the annoyed minister outside in the cold.<br>Harry closed the door wearing a big smile on his face. That had gone better than he'd thought it would.

"What did he want Harry?" George asked before anyone else had a chance.

"He wants me to be the ministry's poster boy and bring hope and confidence that the ministry knows what it's doing. I told him there was no chance of that ever happening." Harry said, walking towards the window. The minister was walking away stiffly with Percy following.

"Jerks." George muttered by Harry's side, staring at the two men as they apparated away.  
>"I got the invitation back from Percy, so they can't come back through the wards." George said, throwing the crumpled card into the fire.<p>

Harry nodded gratefully and moved to the fireplace.  
>"Will I be able to get through to get Fred and Rose?" He asked grabbing some floo powder. George pointed his wand at the fireplace and gave Harry a nod. Harry smiled in thanks before stepping into the flames and disappearing.<p>

"Everything ok?" Fred asked at the sight of Harry stepping out of the floo.

"Yes they're gone." Harry said, smiling at the sight of them. Fred was seated on the kitchen floor with a laughing Rose held up high in the air.  
>"Fred. I er…will you be her godfather?" Harry blurted out, making Fred blink.<p>

"Me? What about Ron? I mean…er…ok so maybe not Ron. But what about Remus?" Fred asked, lowering Rose into his lap.

"You're great with her and I trust you. I'm not sure that Remus would be allowed to take her if something happened to me. You know how the ministry is." Harry said sitting down on the floor with them too.  
>"I trust you to look after her. I need to know that she has someone in case…just in case." Harry added, making Fred take a deep breath.<p>

"Ok, Harry. I'll do it. Just don't die and make me a dad just yet, I'm too young and handsome. Maybe in a couple of years or so." Fred joked.

"Thanks Fred, you don't know what it means to me." Harry said seriously, eyeing the little girl that had stolen his heart. Fred cleared his throat and handed Rose over.

"Well, we should go back and see if Ron has left us any food." Fred said, standing up.

"Knowing Ron…I doubt it." Harry said with a smile making Fred snort.

"Did we ever tell you about the time mum made shepherds pie? I believe it was for twenty people. Well Ron ate it all." Fred said as they moved closer to the fire.  
>"And I mean, it All!" Fred added before disappearing into the flames.<p>

"Oh Harry I'm so sorry!" Mrs Weasley said as soon as they got back into the kitchen. She was wringing her dress nervously with her hands as she looked at him and Rose.

"It's fine Mrs Weasley, you didn't know. Besides, I guess it was nice for you to see that Percy is fine." Harry said, as he had a feeling Mrs Weasley had worried about her son.  
>Her bottom lip trembled and she nodded before turning to Mr Weasley who gave her a hug before leading her towards the sitting room for some privacy.<p>

"I still think he's a stinking troll." Ginny muttered crossly from the table.

"Well I have an announcement to make!" Fred said importantly making everybody stare.  
>"You are all looking at the godfather of that little princess." Fred said, pointing at a drooling Rose. Everyone, but George, then eyed Harry in disbelief and he nodded with a smile.<p>

"True, I just asked him. The Papers are upstairs and just need to be signed." Harry answered, making Fred blink as if it all just gotten real.  
>Harry had asked Griphook for the paper a while ago when he had realised that unless he assigned someone to care for Rose, the ministry or someone else would.<p>

"Thanks for not asking me, I'd probably loose her or something." Ron said later looking very relieved.  
>"Are you sure you want to ask one of the twins though?" He added in a whisper, looking worried. Harry smiled and nodded confidently.<p>

"Fred won't let anything happen to her." Harry said, hugging a yawning Rose close.

The rest of the day passed without anymore surprise guests, just a lot of laughter and Christmas cheer. Everyone was working hard to forget about the minister and Percy.

Harry bid the Weasleys goodbye the next morning, strangely eager to get back home.  
>Mrs Weasley kept crying on him and begging him to stay and he was finally saved by Remus, who offered to walk him and Rose down the garden as he too was leaving.<p>

"Will you keep in touch Harry, let me know you are safe? I may be out on missions for the order but I'll answer your letters as soon as I can." Remus said as they stood in the snow, he smiled at Rose who tried to catch the little clouds his breath made.

"Sure, but why don't you come and see for yourself that I'm fine." Harry said with a grin. He grabbed Remus by the arm and apparated them to the edge of his garden without warning. Fishing out a small piece of paper from a pocket, he handed it to the surprised Remus.

"Who is your secret keeper Harry? This looks as if it was written by a child." Remus said sounding a little worried as he handed the slip of paper back to Harry, before looking at the house curiously.

"Welcome to Rose Cottage, grandpa Remus." Harry said ignoring the question as he led them up the path to the front door. Remus followed, looking oddly pale.

"Grandpa?" He asked as they stepped through the door.

"Well you're the only one…I mean if you don't want…it's ok." Harry mumbled uncomfortable.

"No! I do! I just…thank you Harry, it is an honour." Remus said quietly.

Harry smiled and led the way to the kitchen after having spelled Rose out of her thick clothes. She was soon on the floor banging some blocks together.

"Cup of tea?" Harry asked, observing as Remus looked at the numerous photos on the walls. The older man nodded and soon made it over to the table.

"It's a nice home Harry, really nice. I just can't get over how different you are to the boy I met last year." Remus said, eyeing him curiously.  
>"You are a man of mysteries Harry, whenever I think that I know you, you change. Always for the better too it seems." He added.<br>Harry felt slightly uncomfortable with the praise and busied himself with getting the cups out.

"So, what are your plans?" Remus asked as Harry sat down.

"For what?" Harry asked grabbing a biscuit from the plate he'd brought over.

"The future." Remus answered. Harry looked down at Rose before sighing.

"I don't know. I want to take my N.E.W.T's and I guess I need to find a job. I always wanted to be an Auror but now I'm not so sure." Harry said after a spell of silence.  
>"I don't want to die and leave her alone you know, so the job will have to be safe. My life is dangerous enough without me choosing a job that could kill me too." Harry said quietly, making Remus glance away.<p>

Remus left after lunch as he had an appointment with Dumbledore to keep, Order business was all he would say on the topic.

Harry called for Dobby shortly after as he wanted a favour.

He opened the front door a while later at the knock and smiled at the sight of Hermione stood outside.  
>"Oh Harry! You don't know how happy I am to see you!" She said before bursting into tears.<br>Harry blinked at the greeting and led her into the sitting room where he had hot chocolate and gingerbread biscuits waiting on the table.

"Yes, well I did get you a gift you know." Harry mumbled, motioning for the brightly coloured present on the table. Hermione tried to bring her tears to a stop and gave him a watery smile.

"I really, really missed you Harry. Ron is being such an insensitive jerk at the moment." She sniffed.

"So I gather." Harry said lightly. Ron had told Harry his side of the story and Harry had a feeling that Hermione's version would be closer to the truth.

"He's snogging Lavender Brown around every corner at school. He's so…so…urgh!" Hermione huffed looking more angry than sad now.

"Present?" Harry offered carefully. She looked at the parcel he held out and sighed.

"I wish he was more like you." She mumbled, accepting the present before wiping her eyes.  
>"Where is little Rose?" She added looking around.<p>

"Naptime." Harry answered contently as he leaned back into the sofa.  
>"So, what's up with Michael Corner?" Harry asked making Hermione grimace as she fiddled with the strings on her present.<p>

"Big mistake Harry, a big mistake." Hermione muttered. She told Harry about how she'd tried to make Ron jealous by dating the other boy and how it had backfired with Corner trying to snog her at every chance.  
>They both laughed as she compared him to an octopus and spent the rest of the afternoon just chatting.<br>Rose who'd gotten a bit braver after the Weasley visit allowed Hermione to hold her whilst Harry made her a bottle. Hermione looked very pleased with the honour and kept gushing about how cute she was and how much she'd grown.

After making dinner together and putting Rose to bed, a more relaxed looking Hermione was escorted back to school by Dobby. She'd left reluctantly and begged him to let her come over again.  
>Harry promised to have Dobby come and kidnap her soon again.<p>

As he sat on the sofa, listening to Christmas songs on the radio whilst nursing his second cup of chocolate, he couldn't believe how much he'd enjoyed Christmas this year.

He ignored the worries he had for what next year would bring and just enjoyed the moment of silence and piece.

* * *

><p><em>Phew, looong time coming...sorry, working like mad and writing with a three year old running wild is not easy.<br>"Can i play on the puter now aunty? Ants, I want the ants game!" Sigh...  
>Hope you like the chapter and I hope, as always that the next chapter will be up sooon. Thanks for all the nice reviews pushing me on: ) Mina<em>


	12. Chapter 12

**_Why does real life take up so much time? I have had this chapter mostly ready for a while, just haven't had time to post it. Thank you for all your nice reviews. And here you are, hope you enjoy._**  
><strong><em>Mina<em>**

* * *

><p><strong><span>12. NEW YEAR, NEW YOU<span>**

New Years Eve came early to the Potter household.  
>Harry had Rose bundled up warmly as they stood ,outside in the deep snow, watching the sparks his wand made when he waved it around. Rose was transfixed by the different colours and it warmed Harry's heart to hear her squeals of laughter, every time he shot of sparks. Harry had invited Remus over but he had other plans already. Order stuff, Harry guessed.<br>The twins had invited them over for a small party they were holding but Harry had declined in favour of this more personal party for two. Besides, bringing Rose to a party the twins had already dubbed, the party of the century, didn't seem like a good idea.

Once Rose was snug in her bed holding kitty the cat, Harry made it downstairs for the comfy chair by the fire. He tried to envision what next year would bring but it was hard to think further than next week.  
>He really wasn't looking forwards to starting his studies again, he'd gotten rather relaxed during the holiday but as Angelina had promised to return for the fourth of January, he didn't have much of a choice.<p>

When the clock started inching closer to midnight, Harry made it up to Rose's room where he gave his little girl his new years kiss. He fell asleep soon after, promising to continue putting Rose first.

Harry opened the front door on the fourth and invited Angelina in with a smile. Rose on the other hand frowned and put her bottom lip out.  
>"Hi Harry, hi Rose." She greeted, pulling of her hat.<p>

"Hi, did you have a good holiday?" Harry asked, walking into the kitchen with Angelina following.

"Yes it was great but I'm so ready for real life again. There is only so much of your parents you can handle…er and my cousins came over as well, so loads of kids around." Angelina bit her lip behind his back whilst he got the tea ready. Rose had left two sticky handprints on the back of his jumper, without his knowledge.

"Rose had a good night so she should be fun, although I think she's gotten more clingy, I can hardly leave the room at the moment without her protesting." Harry said, handing her a cup and sitting down with Rose on his lap.

"They go through stages according to my aunt, you just have to be calm when you leave and then happy whenever you return." Angelina said after taking a sip of her tea.  
>"So what are you studying today? I heard that Fred and George are coming by later." She added, watching as Harry allowed Rose to taste a teaspoon of his tea. They both smiled when the baby opened her mouth for more.<p>

"I'm going to have a look at everything. I know that I need to buy some more potion ingredients for Wednesday but I might do that tomorrow." Harry said smiling at Rose who tried to worm her way out of his lap and onto the floor.  
>"Fred and George might come over for lunch, they wanted to talk about the PA and what we are doing but it depends on how busy the shop is." He added.<p>

"Oh I love Fridays here! You're a really good teacher Harry, I've learnt more from you than from any of our teachers at school." Angelina said with a broad smile. Harry blushed and stood up from the table at her praise.

"Er, well I should probably get started." He mumbled, eyeing as Rose scooted towards him on her backside.  
>"She's started moving around more by the way, as you can see. She's almost crawling too, she pushes herself forwards with her back legs when she's on her stomach." Harry said making Angelina smile down at Rose who had her arms out for Harry.<p>

"Dada's going to be in the other room sunshine, you can play with Angelina." Harry said softly, grimacing when Rose started sniffling. Angelina picked Rose up and smiled at him.

"Go on, we'll be fine." She said, stroking the pouting Rose on her head. Rose eyed her mutinously and reached for Harry with pleading eyes.

She let out a howl as soon as Harry made it out of the kitchen and he fought the urge to go back. She'd be fine, he told himself as he entered the study.  
>He pulled down the transfigurations book and took a deep fortifying breath. The question was, would he?<p>

Harry could hear when Fred and George appeared, hours later, as Rose let out a squeal of delight.  
>He shook his head and put the charms book away. He made it over to the kitchen to see Fred making funny faces at a madly giggling Rose.<p>

"Here's the little school boy, finish all your homework?" George teased at the sight of Harry in the doorway.

"Dada!" Rose called out, at the sight of him, before bursting into tears. Harry sighed and took her from a perplexed looking Fred.

"Er, she was fine a moment ago." Fred said, watching as the crying turned to giggles without warning.  
>"Ok, what is that about?" He asked, eying the baby confused.<p>

"She's been really clingy since we got back from your house. This is the new Rose." Harry said, shaking his head as she gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"So what's for lunch? I'm starving, mums cooking spoiled me for anything Fred makes and I won't even mention my own culinary skills." George said, rubbing his stomach eagerly.

"I got us some pizzas, we just need to take them out of the stay-fresh'n-warm boxes." Harry said, smiling when George whooped at the dinner choice.

During dinner, the twins filled Harry in on the last order meeting, where Dumbledore had asked them to convince Harry to come for a chat. Harry promised to give it some thought.  
>It did feel odd, to not talk to the headmaster who'd been a big part of his life for the past years.<br>Yes he was still angry with the man on several subjects, but he also considered the man as somewhat of a grandfather. Besides everyone made mistakes, he included.  
>Maybe it was time they had a chat and really talked. The twins left after promising to be on time on Friday, for their PA meeting, shortly followed by Angelina who was going home.<p>

Harry received a letter from Ron later in the evening, which left him feeling somewhat confused.

Ron was accusing him of dating Hermione and was demanding to know how long it had been going on.  
>Harry, who had no recollection of dating Hermione was relieved to receive a letter from Hermione, explaining, that Ron was being a prat and that the other boy had misunderstood a comment she'd made to Ginny.<br>Harry shook his head at the mess Ron was getting himself into. If Ron liked Hermione, he should just tell her and stop dating Lavender.

"Your uncle can be really slow sometimes Rose." Harry mumbled, carefully carrying her to her cot as she'd fallen asleep in his arms.  
>He decided to not respond to the letters just yet, but leave them for tomorrow.<p>

Walking downstairs again, he entered the study and sat down in front of the desk. It was littered with his schoolbooks and notes and he pushed all of it to the side carefully.

He pulled out a clean sheet of paper and grabbed a pen. It might be useful to think about what he and the headmaster might talk about. He wanted to know what the man was doing about Voldemort. The twins only knew so much, as they mainly helped the Order with different custom made objects from the shop.  
>After writing down some thoughts on the paper he glanced at the bookshelf.<p>

Sometimes in the evening he'd sit down and look at the Marauders map, just to feel as if he was part of Hogwarts again, if only for a moment. He knew all of the places where Ron took Lavender. He knew that Hermione had taken to visiting the library even more often that before.  
>He wondered what the headmaster was doing at the moment, had he received word from the twins already that Harry was considering a meeting?<p>

He spotted Dumbledore up in his office as usual. Hw also spotted Snape's name, making its way down towards the dungeons.  
>Draco Malfoy's name caught his eye and he wondered what the boy was doing in Myrtles bathroom.<br>The longer he thought about it, the more his mind started making things up.  
>Did Malfoy know what was hidden in the bathroom? That the drains led down to the Chamber of Secret? Had he been told by his father to find it? What if he did find it? What would he do? He must have a reason.<br>Why else would anyone, least of all Malfoy enter Myrtles bathroom, otherwise?

He would have to check and make sure that the entrance was safe, before meeting with Dumbledore, just to make certain. It might be that the other boy just wanted to be alone and had discovered the bathrooms unique power, in keeping people away.

Either way, Harry penned a short note for Dumbledore, asking for a date and time for them to meet. He'd just make sure to be there earlier so that he could do a check beforehand.

Perhaps he'd have a go at talking some sense into Ron whilst he was there. It would be nice to be able to invite both of his friends over at the same time.

The next day Harry flooed from the house, to the sound of Rose madly giggling in the living room.  
>He needed to do some shopping and asking Fred to come over and help Angelina, had been a stroke of genius. He appeared at Gringotts a moment later, grateful for his disguise, courtesy of the twins. He brushed some of his now blond hair to the side and left the bank with sure steps.<br>Heading towards the apothecary, he marvelled at the sales advertised in the shop windows.

The Quidditch shop had a seventy percent sale going on, and with Ron's birthday coming up soon-ish, Harry thought he might just pop in for a quick look.

He entered the apothecary a while later carrying Ron's present, feeling pleased with what he'd gotten. He nodded at the man behind the desk and started collecting items from his list.

Fifteen minutes later he exited the shop in high spirit, pleased with how smoothly his visit to Diagon alley was progressing.

A sudden flash of white caught his eye and he followed Mrs Malfoy with his eyes as she strode towards Knockturn alley, with purposeful steps. She looked paler than the last time he saw her, if that was possible.  
>He wondered if she was heading for Borgin and Burkes again and felt a bit cross with himself as he'd forgotten to mention it to Mr Weasley during Christmas. Acting on a whim, he decided to follow her again and see where they ended up. He shrunk his bags quickly and followed at a safe distance.<p>

She did indeed enter the dingy shop a few minutes later and Harry waited a moment before pulling the door open and stepping in after her.

"…takes time if it is to be done correctly. I would not like to be accused of not delivering to the high standard that is expected of me." A mans voice said, from further inside the shop.  
>Harry glanced at the man and Mrs Malfoy, they were standing next to the same cabinet as last time. Mrs Malfoy sent him a hard stare before ignoring him completely. Mr Borgin straightened and made it over to where Harry was standing, with a small amount of relief on his face. Clearly, Mrs Malfoy's presence rattled the man somewhat.<p>

"How may I be of assistance today, sir?" He asked, eyeing Harry shrewdly, no doubt trying to see if he was a customer of value or not.

"I am just looking around for the moment, I shall ask for assistance should I need it, thank you." Harry said shortly, turning away from the man.  
>He pretended to find a pair of golden scissors interesting and the shopkeeper returned to Mrs Malfoy.<br>Harry slowly perused the shop, whilst trying to not appear as if he was listen in on their conversation.

"You were tasked with repairing the cabinet so that it functions as it should. I do not need it to be brought back to its former glory, I just need it to work!" Mrs Malfoy hissed, making Mr Borgin twist his hands nervously.

"I shall endeavour to spend more time on the cabinet Madam. Magic such as this takes time however, if one wishes for it to be done correctly." Borgin said, glancing up at the sound of the door opening.  
>Harry, who was observing Mr Borgin from the corner of his eye, glanced towards the door too, at the pained expression that appeared on the mans face.<br>He nearly brought his wand out, at the sight of Bellatrix Lestrange entering, but managed to hold himself in check. Bellatrix glanced at him disinterestedly and made her way over to her sister.

"Come on Cissy, or we'll be late!" She urged, eyeing Mrs Malfoy impatiently, as the woman gave the cabinet a loving caress. They exited the shop together hurriedly and Harry went back to eyeing the objects on show, waiting for Borgin to come over.

"That box will curse any who hold it, but its true owner, with a slow painful death. At fifty-seven Galleons it's a real bargain." Mr Borgin said, having crept up behind Harry.

"I'm actually looking for something else entirely. I had heard a rumour of a special object and was referred to come here." Harry said carefully.  
>Mr Borgin perked up, at the mention of someone having referred a customer to his shop.<p>

"I have many wondrous things here, I am sure I could find what you search for sir." He said, eyeing Harry hungrily.

"The object I seek to find is a locket, with an ornate S engraved on the front. It also has two small emeralds inlayed into the…" Harry said, trailing off at the furious hiss that escaped Mr Borgin's lips. The man spit on the floor and stalked towards his counter angrily.

"I take it you are not in possession of the locket I seek?" Harry asked, knowing very well where the locket was. He followed Mr Borgin to the counter and eyed the angry man, hoping he would learn something about the locket. It was a risk, bringing the locket up in conversation, but he was willing to take a chance.

"I was! But it was stolen from me years ago. I saw it again just a short while ago in the hands of a no-good peddler, but he vanished and I can't find him! Or the locket!" Borgin sneered. Harry thought that, peddler, was a kind description of Mundungus.

Harry nodded knowingly, making the man eye him with narrowed eyes.  
>"I had heard that the object was in the hands of an unprofessional street-seller but decided there was still a value of visiting you." He said quickly, making Borgin calm down somewhat.<p>

"It is a true treasure that locket. It used to belong to Salazar Slytherin himself you know." Borgin said with a dreamy sigh, eyeing Harry sadly.  
>"The value is great as you can imagine. I was to buy the locket back from the customer I sold it to originally, but it was stolen!" Borgin said, spitting on the floor again. Harry made a mental note to clean his boots before going home.<br>"Mudbloods and halflings! Never hire the dirty creatures if you know what's good for you! I hired a boy, a halfblood, thought he would understand the sacrifice I was making for him but he went and stole from right under my nose. That ungrateful little runt!" Borgin sneered, looking lost in his memories.

"He stole the locket from you? Did you catch him?" Harry asked, wanting the man to continue. Any information he got about the locket could have a value.

"He had a way with the customers, making them tell him of all their treasures. Only reason I hired him was that pretty-boy face of his." Borgin said, as if Harry hadn't spoken.  
>"It was too much of a temptation I guess, my fault really for sending him to the Smith woman. Filthy rich she was, with too many treasures for one." Borgin muttered, Harry nodded as if he knew of the lady.<p>

"What happened to her?" He asked, hoping it was the right question to ask.

"The boy killed her of course! As if the elf could have done it, ludicrous. No, he stole the locket and more. Left me with her entire family wanting blood." Borgin shook his head tiredly.

"Did you ever find him?" Harry asked.

"The Riddle boy? No he was long gone, didn't hear from him again. Probably knew I'd kill him if I ever caught sight of him again. I hope he lives in fear for the rest of his life." Borgin said menacingly, turning his back on Harry, who'd gone cold.  
>"She kept secrets from me old Mrs Smith. She had another item of value, well everything she owned was of value really, but this was another beauty." Mr Borgin said, turning back to Harry holding a thick leather bound book.<br>"Look at it, isn't it beautiful? Can you imagine loosing that and the locket? I was furious, still am whenever I think of it" He said.  
>Harry eyed the picture of a small cup, engraved with a badger, with a sinking heart.<br>"I could have had objects from two of the Hogwarts founders. Slytherin's locket and Hufflepuff's cup." Borgin said, smiling at the look on Harrys face. No doubt imagining it to be wonder. Harry was feeling a shiver of foreboding however.

"I can see that you are a man of tastes, I have many other treasures too." Mr Borgin said, closing his book carefully. Not aware of the turmoil his words had caused Harry.  
>The locket belonging to Slytherin and now a cup that belonged to Hufflepuff.<br>Riddle, who Harry thought had to be Tom Riddle, never did anything without thought. If the locket had been cursed by Voldemort, then the cup had to be too. Harry had to find it before someone else did.

The door opened behind Harry and Borgin straightened up.

"Thank you, for your time, I will no doubt be back soon." Harry said, feeling the need to escape and gather his thoughts. Borgin nodded looking disappointed and made it over to the new customer that had entered.

Harry hurriedly made his way home, head full of thoughts. How was he supposed to find the cup? He doubted that Mundungus would help him after the last time they'd met.  
>And what was it about that Cabinet that Mrs Malfoy kept visiting? Was it housing the bones of a beloved relative or something, what with the way she kept stroking it?<p>

Two weeks later Harry left the house, with Fred babysitting a very excited Rose, on his own this time. He doubted that Fred would manage to get Rose to sleep and felt very grateful that tomorrow was a Saturday. They were at the moment seated on the floor, surrounded by all of her toys which had come alive with the help of Fred's wand.

Harry apparated to the edge of Hogsmead and quickly walked towards Honeydukes, he slipped the cloak on before entering and silently slipped down the stairs to the cellar.  
>He really hoped that Voldemort didn't know of the secret passageways or how easy it was to enter the castle unannounced, it was rather scary when he thought about it. Perhaps he should mention his worries to Dumbledore, even if it ruined his chances of sneaking in.<p>

He checked the map before stepping out from behind the statue and spotted Tonks not far away. He smiled at the thought of her finding out that he'd sneaked past her.  
>Making his way towards the girls bathroom, he managed to avoid the few people that were walking in the halls and couldn't help but feel a bit superior as he sneaked about them invisible.<p>

The bathroom was empty as he'd hoped and he quickly checked the tap for interference. He placed a charm on the sink leading to the chamber, feeling happier knowing that it would alert him if anyone tried to enter.  
>He spotted several empty bottles of butterbeer littering the floor and wondered if Malfoy was the one responsible.<p>

He quickly left for his meeting with Dumbledore, after removed the cloak and strode through the halls as if he owned them.

"Potter?" Someone asked as he hurried past a group of fourth years.  
>"That was Potter! I saw him." Someone said loudly, as he disappeared round the corner. He couldn't help but smile, it was good to be back in the halls and not have to hide.<p>

"Hi Tonks!" He called, after whispering the password to the gargoyle as she came hurrying towards him.  
>"Saw you earlier upstairs, I would have said hello but you looked busy." He teased, making her scowl.<p>

"You used that cloak, didn't you?" She asked, growling when he nodded cheerfully. His smile grew larger if possible at the sight of Snape swooping down the hall towards them.

"Hi Professor Snape! Lovely evening isn't it? Well I shall be off then, nice to see you both." Harry said, giving them a wave before slipping through and climbing the stairs.

The door stood open and Dumbledore eyed him solemnly from behind the desk.  
>"Harry, my dear boy. Come in, please." He said, motioning for Harry to sit. Harry closed the door before giving Fawkes a nod and seating himself in the chair offered.<p>

"Hello sir, how are you?" He asked, eyeing the headmaster who looked weaker than last time they met.

"Better now that you are here my boy, I am ever so grateful that you could meet with me." Dumbledore said, making Harry feel a little guilty. He pushed it away and thought of his list.

"I believe that you wanted to talk about Voldemort." Harry said, getting right to the point.

Dumbledore nodded slowly and eyed him sadly.  
>"We have lost much time already, There was so much I wanted you to learn this year. I will try and be as clear as I can so that you may learn as much as possible in the short time we have." He said, making Harry nod.<p>

He wondered if there was something happening, as he hinted at them running out of time.  
>"Is Voldemort planning something?" Harry asked, making Dumbledore sigh.<p>

"I am sure of it Harry. Now then, I want you to learn more about who Voldemort is and was. You know of course that his real name is Tom Riddle." Dumbledore said, making Harry nod.  
>"You may not know that I was the one who introduced him to the wizarding world, many years ago." Dumbledore continued, watching as Harry blinked.<br>Dumbledore rubbed his face with his healthy hand before continuing.  
>"Yes, I was the one who brought young Mr Riddle his Hogwarts letter." He said, nodding at Harry who had opened his mouth.<p>

"Did you know? I mean, could you tell what he was…that he was going to…" Harry trailed off, lost for words.

"That he was going to end up as he did? No, I don't think I did. I was slightly alarmed at what I found, but not to the degree that I thought him capable of the evils he has done." Dumbledore said slowly. Harry wondered if the headmaster would have taken any actions if he had known.

"Harry I want you to come on a journey with me, a journey to the past." Dumbledore said, motioning for the pensive standing close to them. Harry sighed and mentally prepared himself for whatever horrors he was about to witness, before nodding once.  
>He was soon encapsulated in darkness before a bright light blinded him.<p>

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><p><em><strong>So, what is the verdict? The whole Mr Borgin's bit was supposed to have been earlier but the story kind of took its own path before the Christmas bit. So I have had a hard time jigsaw-ing the story back together again so that it follows my original plan. Naughty story! Hope you like. Many thanks, Mina.<strong>_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Sorry for the long wait. I'm jumping between stories and it's hard when you get inspiration for one and not for the others. This is supposed to have another bit attached but I decided to split them as I can't finish the last bit. (blocking me at the moment…) Most of the second bit is done, so it is just a matter of ending it.  
>Hope you like this bit. Thanks for all the reviews and hopefully it won't take as long for the next chapter. Mina<strong>_

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><p><strong>BABY MAKER<strong>

Harry stepped out of the Pensive and got seated by the desk, feeling somewhat confused and cheated.  
>He had come all the way to Hogwarts, just so that Dumbledore could show him a memory of how awful Voldemort's family had been. That was something he could have made an educated guess about that on his own, without having to leave the house.<p>

Dumbledore eyed him from across the table with an expectant look on his face, clearly waiting for a response of some kind.

"How does the memory of an old Auror visiting Voldemort's relatives help us defeat him?" Harry finally asked, humouring the old man.  
>"Sir." He added as an afterthought.<p>

"History is always important Harry, knowing where Lord Voldemort comes from will give us an understanding of who he is." Dumbledore said after a moment of silence.  
>Harry had a niggling feeling he'd just disappointed the headmaster with his question.<p>

"But do we really have the time to revisit every moment of Voldemort's past? There is as you have pointed out, a war going on out in the wizarding world." Harry said somewhat dryly.

Dumbledore sighed and closed his eyes tiredly.  
>"Will you not trust an old mans acquired wisdom on the matter Harry?" He asked finally.<br>Harry felt like snorting, no he did not in fact trust this old mans acquired wisdom at the moment.  
>Dumbledore sighed again and Harry wondered if his face had shown his internal thoughts.<br>"Harry I know that we have had a difficult time as of late…"

Harry did snort this time at the light tone the headmaster was using.  
>"You could say that." Harry muttered, rolling his eyes before looking around the office. It didn't look as if Dumbledore had been able to repair the things that he'd smashed the last time he'd been up here he thought, not entirely sure how to feel about his actions.<p>

"Is it not best if we bury the hatchet for the moment? There will be time to sort out our differences later." Dumbledore asked, making Harry glance back at the headmaster and nod whilst disagreeing internally.  
>"I would like us to visit another memory if you could spare me the time? This is one of my own, from the time I first met young Mr Tom Riddle." Dumbledore said, before frowning at Harry's sigh.<br>"The memories do have a purpose, I promise you Harry." He said, sounding somewhat exasperated.  
>Harry felt a sliver of pleasure at being able to rattle the headmaster so easily, coupled with a small amount of shame at his treatment of the older man.<br>He sighed again before entering the memory in the pensive.

They returned to the headmaster office awhile later and got seated again.  
>Harry was just as unimpressed with the uselessness of this memory, as with the previous, and Dumbledore looked a tad put out at Harry's non-existent reaction to the information he was being given.<br>"Harry I must stress that these memories are of immense value in the fight against Voldemort. " Dumbledore said, eyeing Harry intently.

"I'm sure that you are right sir, I just don't see how knowing that Voldemort was a thief at eleven will make me win against him in a duel." Harry said before glancing at his watch.

Dumbledore sighed heavily.  
>"It is not a matter of winning or not Harry." Dumbledore said, looking a bit defeated.<br>"Will you come for another visit again? I do have some more information to show you." He asked, eyeing Harry pleadingly.

"If you think it would be of use." Harry said, he might after all find some information of value.

Dumbledore nodded his thanks.  
>"Shall we say in two weeks from now, the first Saturday in February? Perhaps you would like to take your apparition lesson at the same time as your friends, who will be beginning their lessons then?" The Headmaster asked.<p>

"I already know how to Apparate, but the Saturday sounds fine." Harry answered, hoping that he'd be able to get a babysitter again.

"I am glad you have learnt such a useful skill, but perhaps you would like to cement it by making it legal. I am sure that I can convince the ministry to ease up on the age limit issue and allow you to take the test early." Dumbledore said with a smile and a wink.

"I don't know…" Harry mumbled, unsure whether he wanted to add more time spent away from Rose and as he already knew how to apparate it would be a bit of a waste of time.

"Well if you could let me know what you decide before next time." Dumbledore said, glancing at the door from which a knock sounded.

Harry stood from his seat and got ready to leave. He smiled brightly at the sight of Professor McGonagall entering through the door.  
>"Hi Professor McGonagall." He greeted, making her purse her lips at him.<p>

"Don't you hi Professor me, Mr Potter. Come and give your head of house a hug!" She ordered with a sniff, making him smile.  
>"How are you getting on?" She asked, giving him a thorough inspection after letting him out of a tight hug.<p>

"It's going really well, my studies are progressing in a good way and Rose is learning how to move around on her own at the moment." Harrys said with a smile, digging in his pocket for a picture to show.  
>She cooed at the sight of his little princess before jumping as Dumbledore cleared his throat softly, reminding them that he was there.<p>

"Well I should be on my way." Harry said, smiling again at Professor McGonagall, who patted his arm fondly.  
>He walked towards the door but stopped at the sight of a small ring lying on one of the shelves, it looked like the ring carried by Voldemort's Grandfather in the first memory he'd seen.<br>Could it be another cursed item, he wondered. It had a crack running through the stone and he guessed that Dumbledore had destroyed it.

"I will see you in two weeks' time Harry." Dumbledore said, eyeing him with a strange look on his face.

Harry gave the headmaster a nod in affirmative, eyed his arm speculatively and then turned to say goodbye to his head of house.  
>"Make sure to come for a cup of tea afterwards, will you? And bring a few more pictures." Professor McGonagall ordered, patting his cheek softly.<br>He smiled at her and nodded again at the headmaster before exiting the office.

He glanced at his watch again as he descended the stairs and was glad that Fred was prepared to stay over if it got late, as he really wanted to visit Gryffindor house.

He made it up to the painting of the fat lady without meeting anyone and gave her his most charming smile.  
>"So you are back, Mr Potter!" She gasped, looking excited to see him.<p>

"Hello Lady, would you mind getting someone to come and let me in?" He asked her, making her nod quickly.  
>It didn't take long before the painting was opened by a curious looking Neville.<p>

"It is you!" Neville exclaimed, moving to the side so that Harry could enter the room. They could hear the fat lady calling for Violet loudly, as the painting slowly closed.

"How are you Nev? " Harry asked making the other boy nod mutely, he was still eyeing Harry with a surprised look.

"What are you doing here? Have you decided to come back?" Neville asked, having gotten over his initial shock, making Harry shake his head in negative.

"Nah, Just visiting, I had a meeting with Dumbledore and thought I'd come by and say hello." Harry answered, smiling as Ron hurried over after having spotted Harry.  
>"Hi mate!" He said, to which Ron just rolled his eyes.<p>

"I thought you were going to ignore us and leave us to handle Dumbledore again!" Ron said in the way of greeting.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked, ignoring the other boy's words, making Ron frown.  
>"Oh, stop it! Hermione's like a sister to me." Harry chided, making Ron blush and Neville roll his eyes.<br>Lavender, who had followed Ron, gave her boyfriend a dark look which he expertly ignored.

"Ginny ran up to get her." Neville said, following Harry as he made it over to one of the chairs. Many of the Gryffindor's present gave him waves and moved closer asking questions about his training.

"Harry!" Hermione gushed, throwing her arms around him from behind, giving him a hard hug.  
>"I can't believe that you are here, how long are you staying?" She gushed, ignoring Ron's dark presence, from the sofa. Lavender sighed loudly before stalking over to join Parvati on the other side of the room.<p>

"Just a while, then I'll need to get home." Harry answered, smiling at Ginny, who stood behind Hermione grinning at him.

Colin, who had been standing on the side, moved closer and gave Harry a nervous look.  
>"Is it true that you gave birth to a baby Harry?" He asked, making the entire common room go quiet.<p>

Harry eyed him stupidly for a moment.  
>"What do you mean, did I give birth to a baby? Where on earth did you get that idea from?" He finally managed to ask. There were several titters as some of the girl laughed at the questions stupidity.<p>

"Well you disappeared so suddenly and Hermione's been reading a baby book and she keeps talking about you and your baby. …" Colin spluttered, pointing his finger accusingly at Hermione, who blushed at Harry's look. Really she should have been more careful.  
>"And I read in the Quibbler that men can get pregnant if they eat Ginnyberries." He added, ignoring the now full out laughs coming from some of the gathered students.<p>

"And it never struck you that Hermione could have a new project going on? Or that my baby might be older than you think?" Harry asked, thinking fast. Colin blinked but didn't look convinced.

"Harry does have a girlfriend coming over almost daily." Hermione injected quickly, offering Harry an apologetic look.  
>"You should have just asked me Colin, instead of making things up." Hermione chided, making him eye her mulishly.<p>

"What! You didn't mention anything about a girlfriend at Christmas!" Ginny exclaimed next to Hermione, looking shocked.  
>Harry rolled his eyes at her and hoped that she'd understand what they were doing.<p>

"It isn't really any of your business if he has a girlfriend or not, Ginny." Ron pointed out, eyeing Harry with a somewhat hopeful look on his face, making his sister glare. Harry felt like rolling his eyes again, what was wrong with them. They knew the truth after all.  
>Dean who stood by Ginny's side gave her a dark look when she just continued to stare at Harry, he sighed once and stalked over to Seamus.<br>Ginny huffed when it became clear that Harry wasn't denying the girlfriend claim and left for the girls dormitory in a tiff.

"So you didn't give birth to a baby?" Colin asked again, just for confirmation, earning himself snorts from the gathered people in the room.

"Of course not!" Harry said exasperated, somehow managing to keep a serious face, making Colin's face fall with disappointment.  
>Harry shook his head in astonishment, Colin couldn't actually have believed that he, Harry, had been pregnant.<br>Wasn't Colin a muggleborn with the knowledge that men didn't in fact get pregnant?

Harry spent an hour with his friends, promising to visit again soon, not mentioning that he was scheduled to come back in two weeks.

It was almost half past eleven by the time Harry got home and he chuckled at the sight of Fred and Rose still sitting in the living room.  
>Rose looking far more awake than Fred, even though her bedtime was at seven.<p>

"Dada!" Rose called when she spotted him, squirming in Fred's arms.

Fred grimaced, at having been caught failing in his babysitting duties and gave Harry a small smile.  
>"Sorry, she kept waking up every time I put her down and now she won't go to sleep at all." Fred apologised, handing a happily smiling Rose over.<p>

"No problem, I figured that you might have some problems getting her settled for the night." Harry said, hugging Rose close.  
>Fred's insulted scowl was ruined by a jaw popping yawn.<br>"Are you staying over in the guest room?" Harry asked, getting a tired nod from Fred.

"If you don't mind me staying? I'd probably end up flooing myself somewhere I shouldn't be. Besides, I want to hear how the meeting went and George said that he'd come over in the morning as well." Fred said, making Harry shrug, he was used to the two of them popping over whenever. They knew that the floo was locked during the night and opened again when Harry was awake.

Harry carried Rose up to her room and got seated in the armchair next to her cot, after checking her nappy.  
>"You are supposed to be sleeping Rose, so try to at least look a little tired." Harry muttered, smiling when she actually yawned in response to his words.<br>He rocked her gently and started humming a little tune. She snuggled into his shoulder and sighed heavily, prompting Harry to give her a soft kiss on the head.

A short while later he stepped out of her room closing the door softly, feeling very pleased with himself.

He spotted Fred exiting the bathroom and smiled at the shocked look on the other man's face.  
>"No way! Is she asleep already?" Fred asked, rubbing his eyes tiredly.<br>"I tried everything but she refused, just cried. I couldn't just leave her crying in bed, it seemed really mean." He grumbled, stumbling towards the guest room.  
>Harry laughed, knowing exactly how Fred felt.<p>

The next morning was spent with Fred feeding his goddaughter her breakfast.  
>Harry was able to eat his breakfast in peace for the first time in ages and burnt his tongue on the very hot tea, which usually had time to chill.<p>

"So? What did you talk about?" Was George way of greeting, as he stepped out of the floo. He smiled once at Rose, who sat digging in her porridge with her hands, now that she was full.

"Dumbledore showed me some memories about Voldemort in his pensive." Harry said jumping straight into the subject, still feeling that the meeting had been somewhat of a waste of time.

George eyed him with raised brows.  
>"What kind of memories?" He asked, making Harry shrug.<p>

"The normal kind, I guess. Dumbledore was the one who told Voldemort about magic, when he was eleven that is. He lived at a muggle orphanage after his mum died giving birth to him." Harry said, sipping on his tea.  
>Fred lifted Rose out of her seat and placed her on the floor, after cleaning her hands and face and she made for her basket of toys at once, turning it over happily.<p>

"Not sure if I should feel sorry for the bastard or not." Fred muttered thoughtfully.

"He was a real bastard at eleven already, but I'm not sure either." Harry said, thinking about the look on the young boys face as he'd learnt about magic being real.  
>Fred and George both nodded as if that had been a given.<br>"The orphanage lady seemed scared of him and couldn't wait to get rid of him." Harry added.

George snorted and rolled his eyes.  
>"I can imagine that." He said, giving an involuntary shiver.<p>

"I also got to see Voldemort's family before he was born. His Grandfather, uncle and mum all spoke Parceltongue. His uncle had a habit of nailing snakes to the door and liked torturing muggles which his grandfather didn't see anything wrong with. His mum was bullied by them both before drugging a muggle and running away with him." Harry said.  
>He remembered that Mr Gaunt had dragged his daughter by her necklace, a necklace, he only now realised was in his possession.<br>"It was his mums." Harry muttered, cross with himself for not realising earlier.

"Lost us, mate." Fred said, after a moment of silence.

"Sorry, the locket I destroyed before, it belonged to his mum. And Dumbledore had the grandfather's ring on his shelf." Harry said, mentally berating himself.

Fred sighed.  
>"Still lost, what ring?" He asked patiently.<p>

"Dumbledore had a ring in his office and it belonged to Voldemort's grandfather." Harry explained, rubbing his arm which had gotten goose bumps.

"So you think it was cursed like the diary and locket and that's why his arm is as it is?" Fred asked, cottoning on to what Harry meant, making George draw a deep breath in understanding.

"Didn't you say that Voldemort cursed the things to steal people's souls?" George asked, somewhat cautiously.

Harry nodded slowly, lost in thought.  
>"Yes, but Dumbledore must have destroyed it, it had a crack in it." Harry said, making the twins glance at each other.<br>"He must have, I doubt he'd leave it out in the open otherwise." Harry mumbled, making them nod.

"Just how many of those things do you think he has made?" George asked after a moment, making Harry's head turn at that thought.

"I have no idea but I have hunch of one other so that would make it four so far, the Diary, Locket, Ring and a Cup."

Fred swore loudly before glancing at Rose, who laughed at his tone, with horrified eyes.  
>"Sorry Harry!" He mumbled, making George smirk.<p>

"Good going Goddad, teach the kid a few choice words. Mum's going to be thrilled that her talk about the duties of a godfather really stuck with you." George said, sniggering at the glare he received from his twin.

Harry shrugged, not too worried about Rose learning swearwords yet.  
>"Ron called you stupid pricks in her presence, you can blame him for any bad words she says and he'll probably fall for it." He said absentmindly, making Fred glance at George.<p>

"We really have been ignoring our little brother too much lately, don't you think?" Fred asked George, who laughed rather evilly in response. Rose glanced at them before joining in the laughter, much to their delight.

"Just keep my name out of it." Harry implored, getting twin nods in affirmative.

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><p><em><strong>Poor Ron, be afraid be very afraid. Interested to hear what you thought of Harry's time in the tower…<br>Thanks for reading: ) Mina **_


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